Roses and Thorns
by c59t
Summary: A High School Au in a modern setting, though Fauness still exist. Contains Whiterose and Bumbleby. This is also the first fic I am writing, and I hope to gain more experience. :] Warnings: Trigger warnings of character death and a non healthy relationship (of the past) but that wont come until later. Possible spoilers up to RWBY volume 3 episode 11 (but again, not until later)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Rwby or any of it's characters, songs, features, etc. I am only a fan. RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth and was created by Monty Oum. Songs were written by Jeff Williams.

This is an alternate universe fic I am writing. :] It is a high school setting, and is a modern au, though fauness still exist.

Warnings: Trigger warnings of character death, possible spoilers, and will later contain the shippings of WhiteRose and Bumbleby. If you have anything against this, I advise that you please do not read.  
That being said, please, enjoy :]

 **Roses and Thorns**

" _This will be the day we've waited for! This will be the day we open up the doors!_

 _Don't wanna' hear your absolutions, get ready for a revolution!_

 _Welcome to a world of new solutions! Welcome to a world of bloody evolu-….."_

"What the- uuuhg!"

"Did your phone die?"

"Yeah."

"About time." Summer cracked a smile, "Now I can finally talk to my daughter."

"Sorry mom…this music is just _sooo_ good."

Summer let out a light chuckle. "It's alright kiddo. It just gets lonely after being in a car for over three hours without any communication….and this darn rain isn't helping anything."

"Do you think it will stop?" Ruby asked, putting her headphones away.

"I hope. It's coming down hard, and these windshield wipers aren't helping any."

"…You think dad and Yang are out playing in it?"

"Probably. They are such children at hearts…..you remember when we went to the beach house last year?"

"How could I not!" Ruby smiled, "It rained the whole time so we couldn't do anything, then dad and Yang decided to see who could stand out in it the longest and they both got colds!"

"Then they dragged us out there and we had a water fight…we all ended up getting really sick!"

They both laughed at the memory.

"Yeah but it was worth it!" Ruby gleamed.

"It sure was." Summer sighed happily.

"I can't wait to see them again…I really miss them."

"Me too Ruby…we are only another half hour away… so it won't be long." Summer reassured.

"I just wish we weren't a long distance family…"

"So do I Ruby…but with your father and my job it's hard to be together all the time."

"Yeah, I know….but that doesn't stop me from wishing."

"…You remember what I used to tell you when you were little?"

"Of course. You still tell it to me." Ruby smiled.

"And I'll never stop." Summer smiled back.

"Every rose has its thorn, and it may hurt. But if you take good care of it, and treat it right, "

"It will bloom into something beautiful." Ruby finished.

"Yep, and never forget it." Summer leaned over and quickly kissed ruby on the head.

Ruby laughed. "Of course I won't. Who do you think I am?"

"Your father's daughter."

"Haha! Good point, but I'm also your daughter so…."

"Oh, hush." Summer laughed.

It was silent after that. Ruby looked out of her window, though all she could see was rain. It was mesmerizing, though it was coming down rapidly, causing all sorts of noise as it hit the roof and windows of the car. Ruby soon found it hard to keep her eyes open, sleep slowly crawling up on her. Right as her eyes had shut, a loud, nerve-racking blare of a horn jolted her awake.

"RUBY!"

Summer pulled Ruby towered her into a protective position. Before Ruby could ask what was happening, a car from the opposite side of the road whirled and crashed into them, causing their car to lose control and spin off of the road. Ruby's head jerked sideways from the impact and smacked into the window beside her, causing her to lose all consciousness.

 ** _End of Prologue_**


	2. Chapter 1: A New Begining

_**Roses and Thorns**_  
 _ **Chapter 1: A New Beginning**_

High school. Blehk. Ruby despised the thought of it. Especially since she was getting ready to go to one that she wasn't familiar with. 'Beacon High, Home of the Grimm.' Ruby heard from her sister, Yang that it was a great school, and that Ruby would love it there, but that didn't stop Ruby from missing Vale Academy. She had friends there, and made her greatest memories there. She was Capitan of the Track Team, she was close to some of the teachers, and her home was located right across from it. The home she shared with her mother…Ruby didn't realize she was crying until Yang barged into her room… well, her new room.

"Hey lil' sis! You ready for-" Yang stopped when she saw Ruby quickly wipe her eyes.

"Hey Yang," Ruby hid behind a smile, "Yeah, I'm ready."

Yang frowned and moved from the doorway to hug Ruby.

"You okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm-"

"Ruby."

"…No."

"Thinkin' about Mom?"

"Yeah…I really miss her." Ruby rested her head on Yang's shoulder.

"Me too…" Yang tilted her head so it was resting on top of Ruby's. They stayed that way for a bit, feeling comfort in each other's embrace.

"But hey, things will get better." Yang said after a while.

Ruby pulled away from the hug. "You think?"

"I know." Yang gave Ruby a warm smile.

"You two ready to go?" Their father called from the front door.

"Yes Dad!" They yelled in unison.

"Whelp, come on Rubes. Let's get to school."

"Uuuuuuuuhg!" Ruby tilted her head back in annoyance. "I'm not readyyyyyyyyy!"

Yang slung her bag over her shoulder. "I thought you said you were?"

"No, I mean, I'm not mentally ready." Ruby looked around for her backpack.

"Here." Yang said, handing it to her.

"Thanks."

"Yep. And if you want, I can stick with you during first period. I have study hall, and I'm all caught up."

"That would be great." Ruby smiled.

Yang smiled back. "Now, come on, let's go."

They ran to the front door where their father was waiting.

"About time you two got here." He said, checking an imaginary watch.

"You know, you didn't have to wait for us." Yang deadpanned.

"What? And not say goodbye to my two little honey bunches?"

"DAAAAAAAD!" They both said in unison.

"We aren't kids anymore!"

"Stop calling us that!"

Taiyang barked out a laugh. "Ha! Ha! Ha! I'm just messin' with ya'! Haha! "

"Let's just go already!" Yang groaned as she sulked out the door.

"But in all seriousness, are you going to be okay Ruby? Moving schools in the middle of the semester is tough stuff." Tai asked as he locked the front door.

"Yeah Dad, I'll be fine… I think… but Yang will be with me. That's a good thing."

"Well, I wish you luck. Oh, and Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget, you have detention today."

"Don't remind me." Yang said flatly as she hopped on her motorcycle.

"Yang has detention?" Ruby asked as she joined Yang on the vehicle.

"You shouldn't be surprised."

Yang pouted.

"Oh, don't be like that." Tai smiled as he got into his own car. "It's your fault for starting a food fight."

"Nonononono, Nora started the food fight," Yang jabbed her thumb into her collarbone, "I just took part in it."

"Against who? And who's Nora?" Ruby asked as she put on her helmet.

"My friends. A friend."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Real descriptive."

"I'll introduce them to you if you want."

"Sure, but… not all at once. I'll get overwhelmed otherwise."

"Well, you two have fun." Tai said as he started up his car.

"Alright."

"I'll try…"

"You'll be fine Ruby. I promise. I love you both."

"Love you too Dad!" They said together.

With that, both vehicles pulled out of the drive way, one final wave was given, and they headed to their separate destinations.

The humming of the motorcycle added to the roaring wind, making any conversation between the sisters hard to keep.

"You know, I just remembered something!" Yang shouted over the noise.

"What?!"

"I JUST REMEMBERED SOMETHING!"

"No, I meant 'what' as in 'what is it' not 'repeat yourself'!"

"What?!"

"WHAT IS IT!"

"You remember Blake?!"

"Yeah!"

"She also goes to beacon!"

"She does?!"

"Yeah!"

"That's so cool! It's been so long since I've seen her!"

"What?!"

"IT'S BEEN SO LONG!"

"Yeah! Last time you saw her you were three and she and I were five! It really has been long for you, huh?!"

"What?!"

"IT HAS BEEN LONG, HUH?!"

"I just said that!"

"I know, I… never mind!"

"What?!"

"NEVER MIND!"

"You're not making sense!"

"Forget it! We'll talk later!"

"What?!"

"What?!"

"WHAT?!"

"WE'LL TALK LATER!"

Ruby sighed, taking a mental note not to talk to Yang while on her motorcycle. 'I can't believe I'll get to see Blake again!' Ruby's smile grew at the thought.

"I can't wait!" Ruby said aloud to herself.

"What?!"

"NOTHING!"

The golden-yellow motorcycle pulled to a stop, the humming of the engine died down as Yang took the key out of the ignition, followed by a "BEEBEEP" as the alarm set.

"Alright baby sis!" Yang said as she pulled off her helmet. "Welcome to Beacon!"

"Yang! I told you not to call me thaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Ruby's jaw dropped the moment she looked up at the school.

The view was breath taking. Instead of an ordinary, everyday high school building, this one looked like a royal, rich-man's castle from medieval times. It had a beautiful garden of healthy, fresh-cut grass that stretched around the entrance, with a small moat in between. Trees were scattered here and there, and small bushes that were neatly trimmed were placed in certain areas around the building. It also had small, stone pathways to walk on, and the walkway was decorated with light poles and flags representing Beacon. A large tower peeked over the main building, giving it a final touch. Overall, the scenery was beautiful, and Ruby found herself loving it immensely.  
"Woahmygosh, Yang! Why didn't you didn't tell me the school looks so cool?!"

"I wanted to see your full reaction." Yang said as she wore her usual face-breaking grin.

Ruby was about to say something, but someone else beat her to it.

"There you are Yang! I've been looking everywhere for….Ruby?"

A tall, quiet looking girl with black hair and golden eyes approached them; quickly at first, but she slowed down to a stop when she saw Ruby. As soon as Ruby saw the little black bow resting on top of the girl's head, she knew who it was immediately.

"BLAKE!" Ruby let her backpack fall to the ground and ran towards her old friend.

"RUBY!" Blake laughed and held out her arms as Ruby jumped into them, also letting her bag fall on the gravel. She spun Ruby around a few times before setting her down.

"How have you been all these years?! I've missed you so much! Look at you! Last I saw you, you were a little tatter tot!" Blake said, pulling away from the hug to look at Ruby.

"Me?! Look at you! You could be a model!"

"Psh, hardly!" Blake laughed again, hugging Ruby once more.

Ruby sighed into the hug. "I've missed you too, Blake! And I've been good."

"Good." Blake pulled away from Ruby and patted her on the shoulder. "It's great to see you again." She smiled.

"It's great to see you too." Ruby smiled back.

"Blakey!" Yang said happily and ran towards her, ready to pull her into a hug.

"Touch me and I won't speak to you for a month."

"OHkay! Okay! Yang put her arms up in defense and backed away from the raven haired girl.

"Oh! Sorry, Blake. I forgot you don't like physical contact." Ruby said worriedly.

"Don't apologize. This is different." Blake ruffled Ruby's brown, red tipped hair. "We haven't seen each other in over twelve years." She looked at Yang with a flat expression.

"I see THAT one every day."

Yang crossed her arms with an irritated pout. "You don't need to make it sound so bad."

"We are going to be late if we don't go in soon." Blake said, completely ignoring Yang.

"Yeah, you're right. We should probably head in."

"Don't ignore me!"

"Come on, let's go inside." Blake said, picking up her bag and heading inside the building, Ruby doing the same.

"Ya'll are mean." Yang said, feigning hurt.

"Since when do you say 'Ya'll'?" Ruby asked.

Yang shrugged her shoulders, humming an 'I don't know".

After a few moments of silence Blake suddenly spoke up, "I can't believe it's already been twelve years…"

"…..Well, our family met up every summer… you could have just come along with us." Yang stated.

"Yeah, Blake! We would've loved to have you!" Ruby chimed in.

"What? No! That's your family time, I would only be intruding."

"No you wouldn't!" Yang said, surprised that Blake would think such a thing.

"Yeah, Blake! You're a part of the family, rather you like it or not!"

"… Well… still…" Blake rubbed her arm, feeling embarrassed.

After another moment of silence, Ruby softly spoke. "Though, I guess since I've moved in with Dad and Yang… we don't need to worry about that anymore…"

The atmosphere suddenly changed, causing the girls' hearts to drop. Ruby immediately regretted saying anything.

"Sorry, I-"

"No, you're right." Blake said, giving Ruby a reassuring smile. "We'll get to see each other regularly now."

"Yep. The old trio is back!" Yang fist pumped and give Ruby her killer smile.

"… Thanks guys." Ruby said, feeling better.

"Sure thing." Blake leaned towered Ruby and whispered to her, but stared Yang dead in the eyes. "Also, you get to help me keep your sister in line."

Ruby laughed when Yang made a face.

"You know Blake, you can be just as much of a trouble maker as I am." Yang deadpanned.

"Really?" Blake challenged, "Prove it."

"Ruby, you know how I have detention? Well Blake does too."

"What?! You have detention Blake?!" Ruby was in utter shock.

Blake stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide with realization. "I forgot about that."

Yang held a mischievous smile. "Told ya."

Blake sighed in defeat. "I highly regret joining that food fight."

Yang mimicked Blake's earlier movement. "I guess you'll have to help me keep Blake in line too, Ruby." She grinned.

"I suppose so." Ruby laughed, causing the other to do the same… then the first bell rang.

"Crap! We're going to be late!" Blake started running to their first class.

"Aw man, come on Ruby!" Yang said, following in Blake's tracks.

"AH! Oh man, oh man!" Ruby ran with them, not wanting to be late on her first day. 'At least I'll be with them.' Ruby smiled. 'So I guess school here won't be so bad after all.'

 _ **To be continued**_


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting New Faces

Chapter 2: Meeting New Faces

Ruby, Blake and Yang all made a sigh of relief when they took their seats. They made it into the classroom, and the teacher was nowhere to be seen. Blake took her usual spot on the far right side of the room, second row in the front, and Yang sat beside her. Ruby wanted to stay with Yang so she took a seat next to her, hoping that she didn't take anyone's seat. The classroom was a comfortable size, though most of the desks were filled with students. Ruby was hoping that the class would have a small number of people, so to see the classroom packed overwhelmed her. Yang seemed to notice her nervousness, so she reached over and held a comforting grip on Ruby's shoulder, giving her a smile that said 'it'll be alright.' Ruby smiled back with a thankful expression, happy that Yang was there with her.

The door to the classroom opened suddenly, clicking of heels could be heard when a tall, young women entered the room. She wore her blond hair in a messy bun, with long side bangs that curled at the ends. She had lime green eyes that hid behind small, pointed-oval glasses. She was wearing a purple and black lab coat, and held a metal board pointer in her right hand.

"Alright class, if I could have your attention." She spoke in a broad voice.

Everyone kept talking.

"Class, if I could please-"

Still talking.

She cleared her throat. "I need your atten-…oh forget it." She harshly slapped her board pointer onto her desk; causing a loud 'CRACK' to sound throughout the room, scaring the students half to death and making them quiet down. Once the room was completely silent, she started again.

"Welcome class, to another day of Astrophysics." She looked around the room. "I suspect you all have studied for the test, as assigned for homework."

Half of the classroom groaned.

"Then again, maybe not." She pushed up her glasses by the bridge. "I will give you ten minutes to prepare. Make sure you are ready by that time." She walked over to her desk, and pulled out her computer to silently take roll.

"There's a test? Yang and Ruby asked, turning to Blake.

"Yeah, there is. So she might kick you out Yang."

"What about me?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure…" Blake looked down in thought. "You're new, so she might not make you take it."

"I hope she won't. Vale Academy didn't have Astrophysics as a class. I don't really know what it is…"

"It has to do with astronomy, and gravitational force. It is the study of how universal objects interact with each other, and includes electromagnetism, particle physics, and how celestial bodies form." The teacher said, now standing by Ruby. She extended her hand. "Professor Goodwitch. I take it you are the new student?"

"Uh, yes…I am. And my name is Ruby, Ruby Rose." Ruby stood up and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you Ruby, and welcome to Beacon." She smiled.

"Thank you." Ruby returned the smile and sat back down. "Oh! About the test…"

Professor Goodwitch stood there in thought for a minute. "I will still have you take it, but it won't go against your grade. Just to see what you know."

Ruby sighed in relief. "Alright."

"As for you Yang, I'm guessing you are here to comfort Ruby?"

"Yep."

"Alright. I'll allow it, but do not help her with the answers. I want to see what _she_ knows."

"I won't."

"Alright then." With that, Goodwitch went back to her desk to get the tests and hand them out.

"You got this lil' sis." Yang said, noticing how Ruby's nervousness came back.

"Thanks…" Ruby said, but this time it was hard for her to relax.

"And besides," Blake added. " Didn't you get into high school two years early? Because that brain of yours was big enough to get you in?"

Ruby cracked a small smile. "Yeah…"

Blake reached in front of Yang to grab Ruby's hand. "You'll do great."

Ruby let her smile grow, feeling comfortable again. "Thank you guys…"

"Don't worry about it."

"Sure thing." Blake pulled away from Ruby to grab her test and hand back the other packets to the person behind her.

"When you have your test you may begin." Goodwitch announced.

Eventually, everyone got their tests and began to write, save for Yang who sat there blankly not knowing what to do. She decided to pull out her phone to quietly play on her apps until the professor said "No phones." At that Yang pouted slightly and put the device back into her pocket, instead taking out a sheet of paper to scribble on.

After about thirty minutes of testing, Ruby stopped for a minute to take a look at what Yang was drawing. On the sheet of lined paper, Yang was drawing herself slamming her fist into some random guy's face, a big 'KNOCK OUT' was written at the top of the paper in bold letters that could be seen in a comic book. Ruby smiled at Yang's antics and didn't fail to notice how Blake also snuck a look at the drawing, silently trying to hide her snicker at how _even on paper_ Yang loved to fight. Ruby found herself snickering also, but both girls stopped immediately when Goodwitch looked up to see where the noise was coming from. They both mentally sighed in relief when the professor went back to her work, dismissing the noise.

Ruby went back to her test, filling out answers to the best of her ability. After she finished the last few questions, she sat back in her chair, feeling accomplished. For a reason unknown to her, Ruby didn't want to be the first person to turn in the test, so she waited until someone else got up. She didn't have to wait long.

Someone near the back of the room got up, and when they walked by Ruby's desk, she saw that it was a girl with stunningly snow white hair that was up in an off center pony tail, and was dressed like a model strait out of those fashion magazines Ruby was never really interested in. The way she strutted down the aisle between the desks somehow gave off a vibe of confidence, and when she walked passed, electrifying ice-blue eyes locked on to Ruby's silver ones for a split second. The girl walked up to Professor Goodwitch and handed in her test, and Ruby thought it was a good time to do the same. Ruby grabbed the packet off of her desk and got up, though Ruby wasn't thinking, and got up at the _perfectly wrong time_. She bumped into the other girl as she slid out of her chair, causing their heads to collide and Ruby to fall backwards, while the other girl let out an "Oof!" and held her forehead in pain. But that wasn't the worst part.

It wasn't how she just clumsily bumped into the other girl, or the look the girl gave her when she regained her focus. It wasn't the way how Ruby fell backwards and hit her head on the floor, and it wasn't the way how her test went flying into the air and landed in someone else's lap. The worst part was the fact that _everyone_ saw it happen; how it caught the attention of _every single person_ in the classroom. The worst part was that Ruby had successfully publicly humiliated herself on her first day at Beacon. _'Great first impression Ruby. Show them your clumsy side…'_

Even though everyone was mature enough to not laugh at the incident, some of them couldn't help but snicker, causing Ruby's embarrassment to grow deeper. The girl she bumped into gave her a nasty glare, but offered her hand to Ruby, who took it hesitantly. When the other girl pulled her up, she discreetly whispered into her ear with just as nasty a tone as her expression.

"Watch where you are going, _Dunce_."

Ruby's heart fell to her stomach when she said that, feeling even worse about the situation.

"Sorry, I-"

The girl just walked passed her without letting her finish.

"You alright?" Yang whispered to her when she sat back down.

Ruby laid her head on the desk, hiding her face with her arms. "Hm."

"Is that a no 'hm' or a yes 'hm'?"

"Hm."

Yang looked at Blake, who made an unsure face. Yang turned back to Ruby with a sigh. "…Alright."

After what felt like years, the bell rang again, dismissing the students. Ruby quickly grabbed her back pack and stood up, wanting to leave as soon as possible. While she waited for Blake and Yang, a tall, blond, scraggily looking guy came up to her.

"Um… this fell in my lap when you… you know…" He said, handing Ruby her test.

"Oh… thank you, and sorry about that." Ruby took the packet, her embarrassment still evident.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled at her. "Your name is Ruby right? Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I am… but, how do you know my name?"

"It's… on the packet." He pointed awkwardly to the object.

"Ah… right…" _'Well this is awkward_.' Ruby thought.

He laughed awkwardly. "Yeah… anyway, I'm Jaune Arc." He extended his arm to her.

Ruby shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Jaune."

"You too. Well, I have to get to my next class… can we… talk at lunch?"

"Sure." Ruby smiled.

"Cool….see you then." He gave a halfhearted wave and walked out of the classroom.

' _He seems nice._ ' Ruby thought.

"Who's that?" Yang asked.

"His name is Jaune…. my test flew into his lap when I… fell."

"He seems nice." Blake said.

"Yeah…. Oh yeah! My test!" Ruby went over to Professor Goodwitch's desk and put her packet with the rest of them. "Sorry it took a while to turn in…"

Goodwitch smiled at her. "Don't worry about it… and are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh. Yes, I'm okay. I hit my head though, but I'm good. I just feel bad for bumping into that girl."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay. And I'm sure Miss Schnee is fine as well."

"Schnee?"

"The girl you bumped into."

"Oh, okay… well, I have to get to my next class…"

"Alright. Have a good rest of your day, Miss Rose."

"Thank you, you too."

Ruby walked back over to Blake and Yang, who were waiting for her at the door.

"Well, that happened." Ruby sighed.

"Aw, cheer up sis! I'm sure the rest of your day will be better." Yang put her arm over Ruby's shoulders in a half-hug.

"I hope."

"Anyway, we should probably head to our next classes." Blake said, looking at the time on her phone. "You going to be okay on your own Ruby?"

"I think I can manage."

"If not, I'll skip my second class to stay with you." Yang grinned.

"No you won't." Blake deadpanned.

"Aw, common! I don't like calculus!"

"Too bad. We're going." Blake grabbed the hood of Yang's jacket and pulled her to their next class.

"Blakeyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Yang protested as she was being dragged down the hall.

"If you skip class you'll get another detention!"

"I don't care about that!" The farther they went, the harder it got to hear their voices.

Ruby laughed at the sight. ' _I guess after all these years; they're still the same way around each other.'_ Ruby smiled and pulled out her schedule, looking to see where her next class was located. ' _Hmmmmm… Ah! Room 23… that must be upstairs._ ' Ruby looked around for a staircase, finding one at the other end of the hallway. As she made her way to her next class, she saw a familiar student, and not the good kind of familiar. Ruby walked quickly past her, hoping she wouldn't be noticed.

"You!"

She was noticed. Ruby stopped in her tracks, stiff as a board.

"Ye-yes?" She asked, slowly turning around.

"You're the one who bumped into me earlier!" The snowy haired girl strutted up to her, stopping about two feet away.

"About that-"

"Your new here, aren't you?" The girl, if Ruby remembered correctly her last name was Schnee, interrupted her.

"Y-yes." Ruby sweat nervously.

Schnee crossed her arms with a pout. "Fine. Since you're new, I'll give you a warning. My name is Weiss Schnee. As in 'the daughter of Principle Ozpin's boss, Walter Schnee.' "

Ruby's heart dropped.

"And what happened earlier doesn't put you on any good terms with my personal being." Weiss stepped a little closer to Ruby. "So be more careful in the future." She said with a warning tone.

Ruby quickly nodded her head, though she didn't understand how simply bumping into someone could put them in such a bad mood. She chose a safe rout by not saying anything about it.

"Good." With that, Weiss walked off.

As soon as she left, Ruby let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. ' _That went well…_ ' Ruby decided not to worry too much about it at the moment, and started heading toward her next class once more. As soon as she made it in, Ruby quietly took a seat. Thankfully, this class was much smaller than her first one. Ruby pulled out her binder from her backpack, also digging for things she thought she would need for History of War and Weapons. She was actually looking forward to this class, with her love for unique weapons and revolution and all. Ruby started to feel better; this class was something she had experience in, and with her Dad being a weapons mechanic, she could always ask him for help if she needed it. Ruby started getting excited; things were starting to get better….until her heart sank. Because just at the other end of the room, sat someone she _really_ didn't want to see again, she saw a certain daughter of the principle's boss.

 _Weiss Schnee._

And from the looks of it, she wasn't too happy to see Ruby either.

 _To be continued_


	4. Chapter 3: Facing New Problems

Disclaimer: I do not own Rwby or any of it's characters, songs, features, etc. I am only a fan. RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth and was created by Monty Oum. Songs were written by Jeff Williams.

Ayyyyyyyyy. I would like to apologize for this chapter taking so long. I've been a busy little bean lately, so I couldn't work on it as much as I would have liked to. And in case anyone thought I stopped writing it, I haven't. I plan on having this fanfic be about 50 chapters, each about 5 pages long. (on Microsoft word.) I would also like to apologize in advance if it takes awhile for any of them to come out, because I am busy sometimes,(also because I have a two hour limit on the computer...) so I don't have much time to work on it. But like I said, this will be a long fanfic, so please don't think I have stopped working on it :] Anyway, without further ado, chapter three!

Roses and Thorns

Chapter 3: Facing New Problems

Ruby fidgeted in her seat, feeling the ice cold glare directed at her from the other side of the room. Ruby wanted to just get up and walk out of there, but she never got the chance as the teacher walked into the room. He was a hefty man, with bushy, grey eyebrows and a mustache that matched. He kind of looked like the Monopoly guy without the top hat. He had the eyes of a wise man, and a laugh that a kid could mistake for Santa's.

"Hah! Hah! Hah! Good morning students! Another beautiful day is upon us, as is a new student I see!" He gestured toward Ruby. "Come on up here kiddo! Tell us about yourself."

Ruby hesitated; she was hoping he wouldn't notice her right away. She got up and awkwardly walked to the front of the classroom. She felt a little relieved when Weiss looked out of the window, showing un-interest in whatever Ruby had to say. _'Better than her glaring at me.'_ Ruby thought.

Ruby rubbed the back of her head, feeling slightly uncomfortable at how everyone, save for Weiss, gave her their attention. Ruby didn't really have a problem with presenting anything; she was actually a very optimistic person, and quite the social butterfly, but since everything was so new to her, she had a hard time mustering up the courage to say anything.

"Um… my name is Ruby Rose, I'm fifteen….. I like the color red, and…. I used to go to Vale Academy."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Rose." The teacher shook her hand. "The name's Professor Port. You said you're fifteen?"

Ruby broke away from the handshake. "Yep. I got into Beacon two years early…"

"Impressive! So what made you enroll here?"

"My sister Yang goes here."

"Ah, yes, Miss Xiao Long! She is in my last class of the day." He held his chin thoughtfully. "Though I never would have guessed you two are related."

"We're only half related. We have different moms….. that's why we don't really look alike…"

"Interesting! Well Miss Rose, it is great to have you at Beacon."

"Thank you Professor."

Ruby wasn't wrong. The two sisters looked nothing alike. Yang looked more like their father: wild blond hair, tall, and well built. Though while Tai had ocean blue eyes, Yang had lavender eyes with the slightest bit of red in them. Though it was weird… whenever Yang was mad, her eyes looked full on red…. kind of like how blue eyes sometimes look grey. And while Yang looked a lot like her dad, she also looked a lot like her mom, Raven. She had the same body as her, and the red in her eyes was a trait that came from Raven's bright scarlet ones. The only difference between them was that Raven had jet black hair.

Ruby on the other hand was a spitting image of her mom. Deep brown hair, (though Ruby had short hair, and died the tips red) silver eyes, and a doll-like face. She was small but strong, and they both had the biggest hearts anyone had ever seen. Ruby also had the habit of wearing a big, red hoodie twenty-four-seven, like how her mom always wore a white one.

Overall, Ruby and Yang truly looked _nothing_ alike, so it always came as a surprise to learn that the two of them were sisters. That didn't really bother them though; they always had a 'my sister is my best friend' relationship, so they didn't really care if people thought they were sisters or not.

Ruby walked back to her seat. Once she sat down, the person behind her leaned forward and whispered to her.

"Welcome to Beacon." She said with a friendly voice, her Australian accent easily noticeable.

Ruby turned her head slightly toward the girl behind her. "Thank you." She said softly.

The girl hummed a note in acknowledgement.

Ruby put her focus back on the teacher, as he was explaining how weapons of certain caliber affected many different wars…and then started rambling about his childhood and how he had memorized all of the different types of weapons used in all of the different wars by the age of twelve….. and more about his own experience. Ruby listened to his backstory, guessing that this was a usual habit of his, though she wondered if he would ever get back to the lesson.

Eventually he did, and after a while he handed out worksheets for the class to complete.

"You may work in groups of two or individually." He said. "This worksheet isn't easy, so I highly suggest you work with someone."

Ruby was planning on working by herself, confident that she could do it alone, but the girl behind her asked Ruby if she wanted to work with her. ' _Why not.'_ Ruby thought. ' _After all, she was nice to me earlier… and it can't hurt to make some friends."_ Ruby turned around to speak to the girl properly.

"Sure, I'll work with y-" Ruby stopped speaking as soon as she saw the girl. She had dark brown hair and equally dark brown eyes. She was small, but still taller than Ruby sitting down. But that's not what caught Ruby's attention. What caught her attention were the big, brown, utterly _adorable_ bunny ears on top of her head.

"-ou." Ruby finished after a small pause. The girl didn't fail to notice Ruby's shocked expression.

"Surprised I'm a Faunus?" The girl asked with a smile.

"Mhm." Ruby nodded, still looking at her ears. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to stare…your bunny ears are just so cute."

"Thanks, though I'm actually a Rabbit Faunus." The girl said with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, sorry." Ruby said, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. By the way, I'm Velvet." She held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you." Ruby said, shaking someone's hand for the fourth time that day.

"The pleasures mine." Velvet said. "Shall we get started on the worksheet?"

"Oh, yeah." Ruby took her sheet and got up to sit in the empty desk next to the Velvet.

It took about forty-five minutes to complete the sheet, and by that time, the bell was about to ring.

"I'll go turn them in." Ruby said, taking both of their papers.

"Thank you." Velvet said.

"No prob."

Before Ruby got up, she checked to make sure no one else in that row of desks was getting up. She didn't want a repeat of what happened earlier. When it was safe to get up, Ruby went to the basket on the desk near the doorway that said "Worksheet/Packet Turn In" on it. Though as luck would have it, she got up to put the worksheets in there at the same time as Weiss. They both just stood there for a minute, waiting for each other to put their worksheets in the basket first. Instead of saying anything, Ruby moved out of the way to let the snowy-haired girl but her worksheet in the basket. She just rolled her eyes at Ruby and turned in her sheet, then moved out of the way so Ruby could do the same. Before she went back to her seat, Weiss looked at Ruby with an expression that had the word 'Dunce' written all over it. Ruby made and apologetic face and shrugged her shoulders. At that both girls went back to their seats, not speaking a single word to each other.

"May I ask what that was about?" Velvet asked.

"Let's just say I'm not on her good side." Ruby said awkwardly.

"I don't think anyone is, really." Velvet said, packing her bag.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, doing the same.

"To put it simply," Velvet lowered her voice so only Ruby could hear, "She has an ego as big as her attitude."

"Oh."

"Yep. The only people who _aren't_ on her bad side are her small group of friends. But then again, their egos are just as big as hers. Their just a group of bullies if you ask me." Velvet said flatly.

"Why hasn't anyone done anything about it?"

"Her father is the principle's boss, and she uses it to her advantage."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that if any of the teachers were to question her, she could easily persuade her father to fire them like that." Velvet said, snapping her fingers at the end of her sentence.

"Would he really do that?"

"Where do you think she gets her ego from?"

"…Hm." Ruby hummed, not needing more of an explanation.

"Well, I'll see you around." Velvet said when the bell rang.

"Yep. Wanna' meet up at lunch? I'm supposed to be meeting up with a guy named Jaune, and you know as they say…the more the merrier."

"I'd love to, but I am leaving campus to go to lunch with my friends Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi. Would you like to tomorrow?"

"Sure." Ruby said, though deep down she was slightly disappointed that she wouldn't get to be with Velvet for a little longer. The Faunus was her first friend at this school, well, except for Yang, Blake, and Jaune.

"See you tomorrow Ruby." She said with a small wave.

"Yep." Ruby said, waving back.

Ruby pulled out her schedule as she exited the classroom, scanning over it to see where she needed to go to next. _'Ah, I have Gym.'_ She thought. ' _It's a good thing Yang reminded me to take an extra pair of clothes.'_ Ruby put her schedule back into her pocket and headed downstairs. She remembered where the gym was because she, Blake, and Yang had passed it when they ran to their first class. As she descended the stairs, her heart dropped for the umpteenth time that day, for the white-haired princess was just ahead of her. Ruby decided to stay behind her this time, not wanting to be seen. After a few minutes of walking Ruby hoped that the girl would head into one of the classrooms nearby, but to no avail. Suddenly, Weiss stopped in her tracks and turned around, causing Ruby to stop as well.

"Why are you following me?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"I-I'm not." Ruby stuttered. "My class is this way."

Weiss scowled at her for a minute.

"What class do you have?"

"Gym."

"You're kidding me." Weiss said, her annoyance growing.

"Do you…have gym too?" Ruby asked, beginning to worry.

"Let me see you're schedule." Weiss demanded, ignoring Ruby's question.

"O-okay." Ruby reached into her pocket and did as she was told. "Here…"

Weiss took it from Ruby and silently scanned over it.

"Are. You. Kidding me?" Weiss asked between gritted teeth.

"Um… what…what is it?" Ruby asked hesitantly, not wanting to upset Weiss even more.

"All of them. Every. Single. One." Weiss looked up at Ruby with a death glare. "We have all of the same classes together."

Ruby's skin went pale.

"We…we do?"

"Every. Single. One."

' _Fantastic_.' Ruby thought. ' _Absolutely wonderful.'_

 _To be continued_


	5. Chapter 4: New Situations

Disclaimer: I do not own Rwby or any of it's characters, songs, features, etc. I am only a fan. RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth and was created by Monty Oum. Songs were written by Jeff Williams.

To make up for lost time, I made this chapter over twice as long :]

 **ALSO** : I will be drawing pictures for this fanfiction, so ya'll can have a better look at things. If you would like to look at them, they are/ will be posted on my Deviantart. Just search for c59t, and there will be a folder that contains everything for Roses and Thorns.

Anyway, without further ado: Chapter four!

Roses and Thorns

Chapter 4: New Situations

Ruby stood there in shock; she couldn't believe what she just heard from Weiss.

"Are you listening to me?" Weiss asked, pulling Ruby out of her trance.

"What?" She asked.

Weiss sighed in annoyance.

"Of course not. I said that you had better stay at least ten feet away from me at all times." Weiss demanded. "Understand?"

Ruby quickly nodded her head.

"Good." Weiss shoved Ruby's schedule into her shoulder. "Do _not_ forget it." At that she walked off, not waiting for Ruby to respond.

Ruby held on tightly to her schedule and hid her face behind it. _'How the heck am I supposed to stay ten feet away from her if we have the same classes?_ ' Ruby sighed. _'…what am I gonna do?'_

Suddenly, a hand grabbed onto Ruby's shoulder from behind, causing her to jump in her place.

"Hey lil' sis! How's your day going?" Yang asked with a wide grin.

"Yang! You scared the loving dog out of me!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Aw man. What am I gonna tell Zwei?" Yang asked, feigning worry.

"Yang!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Yang laughed. "So? Has your day gotten any better?"

"No." Ruby sighed.

"Oh." Yang's grin fell into a slight frown. "What's wrong?"

Ruby wanted to tell Yang about her whole fiasco with Weiss, but knowing how Yang had a 'momma bear' personality, she decided to say something else. Something that wouldn't make Yang's earlier drawing come to life.

"I'm just stressing out a little bit…. with everything being new and all…" Now it wasn't a lie, but Ruby still felt bad for not telling Yang the actual reason why she was feeling down.

"…I'm sorry Rubes…." Yang tried to think of something to say that would cheer Ruby up. "Oh! You have gym right now, right?" Yang asked.

"Yeah…"

"Well guess what?" Yang's grin returned. "So do Blake and I."

"You do?" Ruby's excitement came back.

"Yep." Yang put her arm over Ruby's shoulders as they headed into the gym. "Now you won't have to be as stressed out. At least, you _better_ not be." Yang said teasingly, poking Ruby in the side.

"Haha! I'll try." Ruby laughed when Yang poked her, as she was very ticklish.

"Feel better?" Yang asked.

"Yeah…" Ruby said with a warm smile; Yang always new how to cheer her up.

"Good. That means I'm doing my job right." Yang smiled, taking her arm off of Ruby's shoulders.

"…By the way…where is Blake?" Ruby asked after a while. "Wasn't she with you?"

"Only until she dragged me into calculus. Then she went to her class."

"Oh."

"She should be in the gym by now though. Her second class is in this hall, so she's one of the first ones in the gym."

"Hm." Ruby thought for a second. "Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering… do you still…"

"Still what?"

Ruby wore a mischievous grin. "You know… like Blake… like _that_."

Yang chocked on air. "WHAT? Where is this coming from?!"

Ruby's grin grew. "Don't avoid my question." She laughed cheekily.

"Gah! Ruby, that was _years_ ago! It was just a puppy crush!" Yang blushed, trying to regain her composure.

"But do you?"

"Have I told you that my other friends, Sun, Nora and Ren are also in this class? They are very nice people."

"Yang."

"Though Nora's a bit hyper. Especially when she's eaten a lot of sugar.

"Yang."

"But then again, wouldn't that happen to anyone who has eaten a lot of sugar?"

"Yang!"

"Okay FINE! Yes I still like her!" Yang yelled, giving in to Ruby's question.

"I knew it!~ I knew it!~ I knew it!~" Ruby sang while doing a little dance.

Yang slapped her hand onto her forehead and slid it down her face with a sigh.

"You done?"

"Nope!~" Ruby laughed while continuing her little dance.

"Guh. It's not that exciting." Yang said with a flat tone.

"Yeah it is!" Ruby stopped her little dance and held a wide grin. "But does Blake know yet?"

"Nope." Yang sighed in defeat, "She doesn't."

"Ooooh~ When ya' gonna tell her?"

"I'm not."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I'm not."

"But why?"

"Because I don't want to."

"Why don't you?"

"RUBY."

"Yang."

"Stop it!"

"Not until you tell me."

"Have I mentioned that my good friends Sun, Nora and Ren are in this class?"

"Yang."

"What?"

"Don't avoid the question."

"I'm not."

"But you are."

This continued until they made it into the gym.

Ruby closed her new gym locker and locked it, repeating the code mentally until she had it memorized. She sat down on the small bench in between the row of lockers to tie up the shoe laces on her worn out sneakers. They were getting pretty old and scuffed up; due to how Ruby went on a morning jog most of the time. _I can't believe I already wore these down._ ' Ruby thought. _'I'm gonna have to buy a more durable pair if I want them to last longer...now that I think about it, I haven't gone on a jog in a long while.'_

"So, you ready to get obliterated by your big sis in dodge ball today?" Yang asked Ruby as she walked over, a smug look of confidence was written all over her face.

"Oh, I don't know Yang. I'm feeling pretty pumped up, especially after that bet we made." Ruby replied with a look that challenged Yang's smugness.

"What bet?" Blake asked as she walked toward the mirror to fix her slightly crooked bow.

"Nothing! Yang said quickly.

Blake looked at Ruby.

"Just a little something between us sisters." Ruby grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at Yang, who in turn stuck her tongue out at Ruby.

"…Alright." Blake said and shook her head slightly.

At that, all three girls left the locker room and went out into the gym.

"I'm going to go help set up for dodge ball." Blake said. "I'll meet up with you in a bit."

"Alright."

"Okay."

When Blake left, Yang leaned toward Ruby and spoke softly to her.

"The penalties are still the same, right?"

"Yep. If I win, you have to tell me why you haven't told Blake that you have a crush on her. But if I lose, I can't bring up the topic ever again, _and_ I can't eat any sweets for two weeks."

"Gotchya'." Yang said with a small smirk. "Get ready to go on a diet sis, 'cus I'm not losing."

"We'll see about that." Ruby smirked back.

"Alright class, please get into warm up position." The teacher said through a microphone that was clipped onto his shirt (so that he wouldn't have to yell across the gym.) "And Miss Rose, please come see me for a second."

"I'll be right back." Ruby said and ran over to the gym teacher.

"Yes Mr. uh….. Iron…worm?" Ruby asked, trying to remember his name.

"Iron _wood_." He chuckled.

"Oh….sorry." Ruby blushed and scratched the back of her neck.

"Nothing to worry about." He smiled. "Anyway, I wanted to let you know that…I'm sorry about your mother….you see, I uh…. I met her when I was in college." He hesitated, trying to find the right words to say. "And I wanted to let you know that if…you need to talk…don't hesitate to get me."

"Oh." Ruby's shoulders fell a little bit. "…Thanks…." Her small smile was followed by an awkward silence.

Ironwood cleared his throat. "Um…and be sure to tell Yang the same thing… that I'm here if you both need to chat."

"I will." Ruby's smile grew into a warm one. "Thank you."

"Sure thing." He smiled back. "Alright class, do the usual routine!" He said through the mic as Ruby went back over to Yang.

After everyone did thirty push-ups, twenty jumping jacks, fifty pull-ups, and ran around the gym five times, they got ready to play dodgeball.

"What did he need?" Yang asked when she and Ruby finished warming up.

"He wants us to know that if we ever need to talk about… mom… to not hesitate to get him. I guess he knew her from college."

"Oh." Yang said with a faltered smile. "That's nice of him."

"Yeah." Ruby said with a smile to match Yang's, who pulled Ruby into a half hug.

"….. You can talk to me too, Ruby-doo." Yang said after a few seconds of silence.

"Same to you, Yang-a-tang." Ruby said as the girls pulled out of their small hug, laughing lightly at their silly nick names for each other.

"Alright class, get into teams of two!" Ironwood said while opening a sack of red and blue jerseys. "Red team on the right side of the gym, blue team on the left!"

"Yours or ours?" A random kid asked when everyone divided themselves amongst two teams.

"…Mine!" He said as he through jerseys to the students. "And after this we are going to have a football unit, because you aren't very good at catching!" He said teasingly as the students were failing miserably at catching their jerseys.

The class laughed.

An orange haired girl teased back, "Either that or you're a lousy throw!"

The class laughed again when Ironwood furrowed his brows and stuck his tongue out at her.

"The rules will be the same!" He instructed. "If you hit someone in the face, you're disqualified! If you get hit by the opposing team, or go into their territory, you're out! If a ball is caught, the person who threw it is out, but if the person who caught it drops it before throwing it, than _they_ are out! Last team standing wins! Any questions?!"

The orange haired girl raised her hand.

"Yes, Nora?" Ironwood asked.

"Do bugs yawn?" She asked.

"Wha-?"

"Do bugs yawn?" The girl, Nora, asked again.

"She has been wondering this for a few days now." A calm looking boy said. "I wouldn't worry too much about it."

Ironwood had a puzzled look on his face, as well as the rest of the class. He cleared his throat, "….Does anyone have any _other_ questions?"

Nora raised her hand again, but the calm boy gently put her arm back down.

"…..Alright then…..you may begin!" Ironwood blew his whistle.

When it sounded, both teams quickly ran to the center of the gym to grab a dodge ball, but were careful as to not get hit with one of them. Ruby skillfully grabbed two of them, and tossed one to Blake. She and Ruby were on the Blue Team, and Yang was on the Red Team. The girl named Nora was also on the Red Team, as well as her calm friend. When Ruby looked around the gym for a good angle to throw her ball from, she noticed that Weiss was also on the Blue Team. ' _Great._ ' Ruby thought as she threw the ball in her hand. _'First, we have the same classes, and now we are on the same team._ ' Ruby leaned to the right to dodge a ball that flew at her. ' _I just hope she doesn't notice me._ '

Weiss scowled at her and mouthed the word ' _What_?'

Ruby looked away as she dodged another ball. ' _Crap! I was staring at her!'_ Ruby picked up a ball that bounced past her and tried throwing it at Yang, who dodged it by an inch. ' _Well, as long as I don't make any more mistakes, she won't pay attention to me.'_

Ruby crashed into Weiss as she dodged another ball. _'Are you kidding me!?'_

"Watch it!" Weiss yelled in a whisper. "Can't you do anything right?!"

"Sorry!" Ruby whispered back.

Instead of replying, Weiss rolled her eyes and ran past Ruby to pick up a ball and throw it.

Ruby sighed and continued playing the game. She decided to run over to Blake to see if she needed any help.

"Hey Ruby." Blake said as she chucked a ball at Yang and missed. "Mind helping me take down your sister?" She asked with a smirk.

"Not at all." Ruby smiled back. "After all, I have a bet to win."

Blake laughed. "What did you bet on?"

Ruby only told Blake half of the bet; wanting to protect Yang's secret. "If I lose, I can't eat _any_ sweets for two weeks."

Blake laughed again. "That's some bet."

"Yep!" Ruby said as she threw another ball at Yang, who once again dodged it.

"Nice try Ruby, but I'm not losing!" Yang yelled.

"We'll see about that!' Ruby yelled back. "I have Blake on my side!"

Blake smiled. "Thanks Ruby, but keep in mind that Yang has Nora, Ren, and Sun on her team, who are all very skilled athletes."

"Are they friends of yours?" Ruby asked, dodging a ball Yang threw at her.

"Yeah, they are. They also took place in the food fight, except for Sun. He just kind of watched from a distance." Blake said as she threw a ball at Nora.

"Missed me!" Nora laughed evilly.

"And that one is Nora." Blake said with a smile.

Ruby was about to reply, but was interrupted as Blake got hit with a ball.

"Alright!" Yang cheered from the other side of the gym and high-fived Nora.

"You okay Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Blake said, patting Ruby on the shoulder. "Get revenge for me, okay?"

"Got it!" Ruby smirked.

Blake nodded at her and went to go sit out with the other students who had been hit. Ruby picked up another ball and threw it across the gym, hitting a guy in the shoulder.

"Yes!" She whispered to herself.

Thirty minutes had passed, and the Blue Team was failing miserably. They had about ten members left standing, while the Red Team had more than double that amount. The people still standing consisted of Ruby, Weiss, some guy named Yatsuhashi, Yang, Nora's calm friend, and another handful of random students. As another one of their members got hit, Ruby took out two of the Red Team's members in a row. Ruby was working as hard as she could, determined to win the bet. The other students worked hard as well, though they only wanted to win the game. Ruby ran to the other side of the Blue Team's territory, dodging the colorful spheres being thrown at her. As she ran she picked up a purple ball and threw it, hitting the calm looking boy in the leg.

"Ren no!" Nora yelled.

"Sorry Nora." He said as he joined her in sitting out. "I couldn't dodge it quickly enough. That girl has a good throw."

"Who is she anyway? I don't recognize her." Nora asked with her hand on her chin in thought.

"She's Yang's little sister." Blake said, joining them in the conversation. "She just transferred from Vale Academy."

"Oooooooh! _She's_ Yang's sister?" Nora asked, her voice full of interest. "We'll have to meet her after the match."

Ren nodded his head in agreement.

"Who's Yang's sister?" A muscular, blond haired Faunus asked as he walked over to them.

"Hi Sun." Blake greeted. "That girl over there." Blake pointed at her. "Her name is Ruby."

"Oh. I never would have guessed they were sisters." Sun said while swaying his monkey tail.

"… They have different moms." Blake said while sitting down next to Nora. "Which is why she went to a different school."

"Why did she move here?" Nora asked.

"That's up to Ruby or Yang to tell you." Blake said, knowing it wasn't her place to tell them.

There was a comfortable silence. The group of friends decided to watch the rest of the game to see which team would win, surprised when they noticed how the Blue Team had already divided the Red Team by about half its size. But on the other hand, the Red Team still had seven people, while the Blue Team now had three.

Ruby was working rapidly, picking up ball after ball and throwing them somewhat blindly at the other team, determined to win the game, and to prove to Weiss that she doesn't always mess things up. She was about to throw another one at Yang, until Ironwood blew the whistle to pause the game.

"Alright! Before you continue, I would like each of the remaining team members to come up with a strategy on how to beat the game. You have three minutes!" Ironwood blew the whistle again, signifying the start of their timer.

Ruby, Weiss and the guy named Yatsuhashi all got into a small huddle… well, as small as Weiss would allow. The snowy haired girl cleared her throat and looked at Yatsuhashi.

"You. Keep doing what you are doing. You're the one who took out most of the members."

Yatsuhashi gave a single nod, being the soft spoken person he is.

"Alright. Ruby…"

Ruby gulped lightly.

Weiss quickly looked her up and down. "…You are trying way too hard. There is no need to show off your throwing ability, so stop throwing randomly, and actually _aim_ at someone." She said in a coldly.

"I wasn't trying to show off…" Ruby said in a small voice. "I just…I want you to know that I _can_ do things right…"

Weiss' expression softened a little, remembering what she said to Ruby earlier in the game. She sighed softly. "….I suppose I can be a bit…" She paused, looking for the right word, "…difficult, but if we are going to win this, we are going to have to do this, together. So stop trying to prove to me that you can, and actually _do it_. And _I'll_ be…nicer." Weiss said, softening her tone.

Ruby slightly nodded her head. "…Alright."

"Good….now, what should we do for our plan of attack?" Weiss asked.

Yatsuhashi shook his head slightly, not knowing what to do.

"…I…have a plan." Ruby said, looking at Weiss as if she were asking permission.

"Go ahead." She said.

Ruby returned a small smile. "Okay, here is what I think…"

The three huddled closer to keep what they were saying a little more discreet. After the three minutes were up, Ironwood blew the whistle again.

"Times up!" He said. "You may begin…now!" He sounded the whistle.

"Let's do this!" Ruby inwardly fist pumped and looked at Weiss and Yatsuhashi. "Together!"

They both nodded at her and went back to the game. "Toghether!"

"And Ruby?" Weiss said.

"Yeah?"

"…You can do things just fine."

Ruby smiled warmly. "…Thanks."

Weiss nodded at her again, and Ruby could have _sworn_ she saw the faintest smile appear on the snowy girl's face.

' _Let's do this.'_ Ruby repeated to herself, letting her smile grow. _'Together._ '

 _To be continued_


	6. ANNOUNCEMENT

Hey guys. I'm sorry it has been a while since I've posted...

I would like to apologize, but I have been really busy as of recently, and as time went on I just kind of lost inspiration to continue this fic. I am truly sorry to have stopped where I did, but I don't really feel like working it. So as of now, Roses and Thorns will no longer be continuing...I would like to thank every one who has taken time to read it, and to those of you who have posted reviews. They mean a lot to me, and it makes me incredibly happy to know that I could create something for people to enjoy. So thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you all have/had a very happy April fools day :] . On that note, I would like to say that I have been sick with a stomach virus these past few days, so I wasn't able to work on this fic. But now that I am feeling better, I am able to work on it again, and the next chapter should be posted here in a few days. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you will continue to enjoy Roses and Thorns. Thank you again,

-c59t


	7. Roses and Thorns: Ch 5: New Friendships

Side note: Cinder and her crew aren't evil in this fic. Jus' thought I'd let you know :] Also, while reading the rest of the dodge ball scene, I highly suggest you listen to "Caffiene" by Jeff Williams :] it just gives the scene epicenes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rwby or any of it's characters, songs, features, etc. I am only a fan. RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth and was created by Monty Oum. Songs were written by Jeff Williams.

Roses and Thorns

Chapter 5: New Friendships

Ruby, Weiss and Yatsuhashi got into position. The rest of the game was three against seven, but they believed the plan Ruby brewed up would work, but only if they did things right. They had to admit, it was a ridiculous plan that came with sacrifices, but they were determined to win. Both teams were in their planed positions, waiting for the other team to strike first.

"You ready?" Ruby asked her small team.

"Yes." Weiss answered, while Yatsuhashi nodded his head once.

"Alright…" Ruby picked up a yellow ball. "…then let's do this!" Ruby chucked her ball at the Red Team, signifying the start of the rest of the match.

"Let's go!" Yang yelled to her team, who all yelled in excitement.

Spheres of all colors were being thrown across the gym, and the way the rest of the game was being played, it made it look like a full on war. As Ruby, Weiss and Yatsuhashi dodged the Red Team's attack, they went into phase one of their plan: eliminate the Red Team down to three members, so both teams were even.

This step was Yatsuhashi's job, as he was one of the ones who brought the Red Team down to seven members. He swiftly dodged any ball that came his way, picked up one after another, and skillfully threw them at their opponents, taking out two of their members. Yatsuhashi was about to get hit in the chest by a purple ball, but Ruby ran in front of him and caught it, getting the one who threw it out of the game. Weiss quickly took out another one of the Red Team's members, marking the end of phase one. The Blue team immediately went into phase two: distract and sacrifice.

Yatsuhashi ran to the right side of their territory, were Weiss was at. At the same time, Weiss ran to where he was at, trading places. As they ran past each other, Weiss' foot hooked onto Yatsuhashi's, causing them both to trip and fall. The Red Team stopped for a split second, distracted by what had happened. It gave Ruby just enough time to get out another Red Team member, only leaving Yang and a grey haired guy.

"It was a distraction!" Yang said with realization.

"Smooth move!" The grey haired guy said. "But not smooth enough!" He chucked a ball at Weiss, but Yatsuhashi played the sacrifice part by moving in the way of the ball, causing himself to get hit instead. The last phase of their plan needed to be done by Weiss and Ruby, so Yatsuhashi volunteered to be the sacrifice.

"Good luck!" He said to Ruby and Weiss, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ready for phase three?" Ruby asked, turning to Weiss.

"Ready!" She replied. "But of course, _you_ would come up with this plan." She smiled.

"You think you can make the shot?" Ruby asked.

"Can I?" Weiss asked confidently.

Ruby took it the wrong way. "….Can you?"

"Of course I can!" Weiss said.

"Alright! Phase three begin!" Ruby said with a smile.

"Phase three?" The grey haired guy asked.

Yang gave him a puzzled look and shrugged her shoulders. Suddenly, Ruby and Weiss were throwing dodgeballs at them rapidly, beginning the third and final phase: tag team and take out.

At this point, everyone in the side lines were cheering for their teams, excitement filled the room as they wondered who would win. It was down to two verses two, and from the looks of it, the Blue Team was just ahead. Yang and the grey haired guy were starting to get overwhelmed, they had no idea where the Blue Team's sudden burst of energy came from, and they started to get worried. They frantically dodged and threw any dodge ball that was near them, completely forgetting their own plan.

Ruby and Weiss worked rapidly, smiling at how their plan was working, though deep down they were both surprised at how well they were working together. Ruby and Weiss gave each other a quick glance communicating silently, both agreeing to start the 'tag team' part of phase three.

Yang and the grey haired guy ran around the gym comically, only worried about dodging what they now knew was 'phase three'.

"Mercury! We need to pull together!" Yang yelled worriedly.

"I know!" The grey haired guy replied. " I-AHHHH!"

Suddenly, Ruby and Weiss started throwing dodgeballs only at _him_. They had tag teamed against him, and threw him off balance. He was easily taken out as Weiss made one final blow, hitting him in the shoulder.

"Mercury!" Yang yelled dramatically as he went down. "Ah crap!"

"Crap is right Yang!" Ruby smirked, "Because now is the time to take you out!"

At that, Weiss charged forward at Yang, but didn't cross into the Red territory. As she ran, she picked up a ball while doing a summersault and threw it as soon as she was back on her feet. As Yang was distracted by the ball Weiss threw, Ruby picked up a red one and threw it at her. It was then that everything went into slow motion. Yang was focused on dodging Weiss' ball, moving out of the way as it went past her. Everyone else in the sidelines were jumping and cheering for the Blue Team, even Ironwood was cheering. As slow motion continued, Ruby threw her ball with a grunt, watching as it flew through the air at Yang. It was then that Yang noticed Ruby's ball coming at her, but was too late. The ball made a loud ' _smack!_ ' as it collided with Yang. It was then that everything went back to its normal speed.

Now in a situation like this, the Blue Team would be cheering, Ruby and Weiss would be congratulating each other, and Ironwood would be blowing the whistle, ending the match and naming the Blue Team the champions… but this was not the case. As a matter of fact, the room was _completely_ silent. Everyone's hearts had stopped in that moment, and they were all just standing there shocked, taking in what they just saw. Even Mercury was sitting up a little, an expression of disbelief on his face, as well as Weiss and Ruby's. Because not only had the ball hit Yang, but it also hit her in the _face_ … meaning that Ruby and Weiss were disqualified.

Both teams had lost the match.

' _I goofed up._ ' Ruby thought, ' _I goofed up real bad._ ' Ruby still couldn't believe she aimed wrong, she was intending to hit Yang in the shoulder, but she misjudged her aim in the heat of the moment. Things were going so smoothly, but she messed it all up last second.

"I'm so sorry Yang." Ruby apologized for the umpteenth time as she changed into her clothes.

"It's alright Ruby." Yang laughed, "You did great." Yang smiled at Ruby proudly. "But who would've thought you could come up with an awesome plan like that?"

"…Thanks?" Ruby didn't know if she should take it as a complement or not. "But seriously, I didn't mean to hit you in the face."

"It's okay." Yang laughed again, there was a huge red mark on her forehead from where the ball hit her. "Now I can pretend I'm the Avatar!"

"Well oh mighty Avatar," Blake teased with a smile, "Who won the bet?"

"Rubles and I decided that we both get penalties." Yang said with a small defeated sigh. "So I guess you could say we both won _and_ lost."

Blake hummed a small note. "Well, good luck with that."

"Thanks." Ruby and Yang said dejectedly.

"That. Was. Su _perawsome_!" Nora yelled while fist pumping, causing the girls to jump.

"Nora! You scared the flying flip out of me!" Yang yelled with her hand on her heart in shock, the others were in the same position.

"Flips' don't fly Yang. But still that was _so cool_!" Nora started making a bunch of ridiculous gestures to match her words. "The way you and Weissburg went all commando on Mercury! How Yatsuhashi tragically sacrificed himself to save Weiss like a knight in shining green armor, how Yang got slam dunked IN THE FACE after that totally _awesome_ maneuver you and Weiss pulled! That was HILARIOUS!(nooffence) and the way you three worked together was extreme! Best. Dodgeball. Game. _Ever_!"

At this point, Nora was frazzled with excitement, the biggest of all grins was glued onto her face as she looked at Ruby, who was standing blankly in place trying to register everything the wild girl said.

"…Th…Thanks…" Ruby's voice was a bit shaky due to the amount of praise she was getting. ' _And I thought_ I _was a motor mouth._ '

Nora took Ruby's hand and shook it rapidly. "By the way, I'm Nora! Nice to meetchya!"

"N-n-n-nice-e-e to-o me-et yo-u-u to-o-oo!" Ruby's voice was vibrating due to how Nora was still rapidly shaking her hand. "…Ple-e-e-ase le-et go-o-o-o."

Nora did as she was asked and turned to Blake and Yang. "We _have_ to introduce her to the others!" Nora said while bouncing in place.

"Do you want to Ruby?" Yang asked.

"Sure." Ruby smiled while rubbing her arm in slight discomfort. "Nora, I think you did something to my arm."

"Oh, you're fine." She snorted. "It happens to everyone I shake hands with!"

Ruby didn't know how to respond.

"Well, let's go find them." Blake said while motioning for them to follow her.

"Alright, but I'm not shaking hands with anyone anymore."

They all laughed at that. As soon as they were in the gym, Nora said "Be right back!" and ran off.

"Is she usually like this?" Ruby asked.

"No. She's far less hyper than normal." Yang answered.

"Eh."

Suddenly, Nora reappeared with who Ruby assumed were Ren and Sun.

"Ruby, this is Ren, he is like, the most _perfect_ student and I'm, well, I'm me. And it's crazy because we've been together for _sooo_ long, well not 'together- together' not that I'm not saying he's not handsome, he _is_ handsome but that would just be weird, right? Right. What was I thinking? But still, I hope you two can get along! Also, this is Sun! He is _super_ strong and nice and pretty cool to hang out with. He is also one of the most loyal people I know, though sometimes he can be a real trouble maker but then again, I can too! Anyway, Sun, Ren, this is Ruby, Yang's sister! I don't know too much about her other than that she _slays_ at dodgeball, but she also seems pretty cool! I just hope that all of us can become the best of friends!"

The entire group just stood there silently as they finished processing everything that Nora said. After a few seconds, Ren spoke up.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you Ruby. I would shake your hand, but considering how you've already met Nora, your arm must be a bit tired." He smiled.

Ruby chuckled. "Yeah, it is. And it is nice to meet you too. And you as well Sun.

Sun flicked his tail. "You too little red." He smiled.

"So, shall we go to lunch? Blake asked when the bell rang.

"Oooooh! I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" Nora grinned while skipping out of the gym doors.

"I'm going to go make sure she doesn't really eat a horse, because the last time she said that she actually tried to." Ren said while following after Nora. "We'll meet up with you in the cafeteria."

"She…tried to…eat…a"

"Don't question it Ruby." Yang said. "It's for the best.

"O-okay."

"Anyway, let's head out. I can already hear the banana pancakes calling my name." Sun said while heading out of the gym.

"Wait, they serve banana pancakes?" Ruby asked with a surprised tone in her voice.

"Welcome to Beacon." Yang said with a hint of mockery. "The only high school that literally has an _all you can eat_ buffet."

"Woah." Ruby said with a delighted look in her eyes, though it quickly faded. "Now I wish I didn't make my penalty 'no sweets for two weeks.'" Ruby said while lowering her head. As if her stomach understood her, it growled in a low note.

"It's gunna' be alright." Ruby answered her stomach dejectedly while patting it. "We'll make it through this together."

Blake and Yang smiled at how Ruby was speaking to her torso, suppressing their small giggles.

"You'll be fine Ruby, it's just two weeks." Blake said.

"Oooh no she won't." Yang smiled. "This girl eats more sweets within a month than how many pounds I can lift."

"That…isn't very healthy." Blake said with slight worry.

" _Thanks_ Yang. And yeah, I know." Ruby said with a defeated expression.

All of a sudden, all three girls' stomachs growled loudly, leaving them blushing slightly.

"Let's… go eat." Blake said.

"A-greed."

"Mhm."

The three girls headed out of the gym and made their way to the lunch room.

 _'_ _I really wish I didn't make that my penalty…'_ Ruby thought once again. _'At least I'll finally get some answers from Yang.'_

 _To be continued_


	8. Chapter 6: New Information

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of it's characters. It was created by Monty Oum and belongs to RoosterTeeth.

Roses and Thorns

Chapter 6: New Information

Ruby stood there with her mouth agape; the cafeteria was _huge_. It had multiple rows of tables that stretched along the room, and at the end of the rows were large pillars that had long green flags that hung from the ceiling, two in between each pillar. The cafeteria was pretty much its own separate building, and had a row of large windows that went down the entire wall on both sides. It also had about five chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, and where the ceiling met the walls, there were arcs that had two speakers each built into them. The smooth black marble flooring was so polished that Ruby could see her reflection in it.

"This makes Vale Academy's lunchroom look like a children's' kitchen play set." Ruby said breathlessly.

"…Welcome to Beacon." Yang said again.

"Over here Ruby. This is where we order." Blake said while motioning for her to follow. "The menus are on those screens up there." Blake pointed at five, large rectangular screens that were bolted to the wall behind the register counter.

"You can order here, or use your scroll to order on the Student Services app." Yang said.

"Scroll?" Ruby asked.

"Oh yeah, you didn't get one yet, did you?" Yang asked while pulling out her own. It was a small rectangular device that slid open horizontally, and when it opened, a holographic screen blinked on and had a 'PASSWORD' textbox on it. Yang typed in her four-digit code and the screen changed to her homepage. Yang scrolled through some of her apps while explaining what it was.

"A scroll is kind of like a high-tech cell phone that is linked to the school." Yang said.

"Every student who enrolls here gets one." Blake added while pulling out her own. It was an exact replica of Yang's, except that Yang's had a yellow color scheme while Blake's had a black one.

"Yep. You can use it for multiple things, like checking your grades, seeing what assignments are due, stuff like that. It also holds your student I.D., birth certificate, though only you have access to that, and it also has a GPS and a communicator so you can use it if you don't have your phone handy." Yang said while showing Ruby. "Also, the app with the question mark can be used if you have any questions about the scroll itself… it kind of acts like Siri. And you also have access to the internet, and you can use the email app to ask your teachers any questions. There isn't a texting app on it, but it does have a camera so you can take pictures or record live, but the Grimm News Team is the only ones who ever use it."

"The most important feature on the scroll is this app right here." Blake said while tapping on an app that read 'Student Points'. When it opened up, it showed a picture of Blake with her name above it. Next to it was a set of numbers that said '2,324 SP'. I also had a 'Send Points' icon and a 'Report Student' icon next to it.

"This is your Student Point Tracker." Blake explained. "Everyone starts off with two-hundred points, and gains two-hundred more when the new semester or school year begins."

"Like passing 'GO' on Monopoly." Yang stated.

"What are they used for?" Ruby asked.

"Mainly to order food and rent or buy any supplies you need. Also to check out a library book, but that only costs one point. Also, if there is an event that needs pay to get in, you can use the points to buy tickets." Blake answered. "You can earn them by doing community service or volunteering for fundraisers, also by winning any kind of competition or award winning projects."

"Blake and I get most of ours by working in the library." Yang said.

Blake nodded her head in agreement. "You can also donate your points anonymously to someone if you see them do something noteworthy, like picking up litter or helping someone out.

"Can you get points docked?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, but only if you break any school rules or get more than three detentions in a row, _Yang_."

Yang put her hand on her chest and scoffed playfully. "Hey now, this is only the _second_ time in a row for me."

"Hm. Anyway Ruby, you can also report a student for doing something good or bad, and the administration will act accordingly." Blake said. "Every time you get points docked, it takes away twenty points, earning points gives you fifteen, and if someone wants to donate, they can only give ten points at a time."

"But the school makes it so that everyone has at _least_ one-hundred points so they can still afford something to eat." Yang said.

"That's so cool!" Ruby said with excitement.

"We'll have to ask Principle Ozpin to get you one." Yang said.

"How much do they cost?" Ruby asked.

Blake smiled and shook her head. "They're free, with insurance."

"They are!?"

"Yep!" Yang answered. "But if it breaks, then you have to pay lien to get it fixed. It costs fifty lien to repair it, but if it isn't fixable, then you have to pay three-hundred lien to get a new one, and another one-hundred lien to get insurance…it isn't free the second time around-but don't let that happen because I've already done it twice and Dad isn't too happy about it."

Ruby and Blake smiled at that. "I'll try," Ruby said, "but what about your information? Is it saved somewhere else?"

"Yep." Blake answered. "The school has a database that holds all of the information, that way they can link it to the replacement scroll if need be; but only administration has access to it, so there is no need to worry about anyone trying to steel it."

"That's awesome!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Sure is!" Yang replied.

"Since you don't have your scroll yet Ruby, I'll pay for your lunch." Blake said.

"What? No, it's okay, you don't have to!" Ruby exclaimed while waving her hands.

"Yeah Blake, I can pay for her." Yang said.

"Well, you don't have to either Yang!" Ruby said, turning to her sister.

"Then how would you eat?"

"I can just go without!"

" _Or_ you could just let me pay." Blake insisted with a slight laugh. "I haven't seen you in _years_ Ruby. You could say it's a small… welcome back gift." Blake ruffled Ruby's hair. "Please, I insist."

Ruby hesitated. "…alright… but in that case I'm getting you something too!"

Blake smiled. "It's a deal then."

Ruby grinned back at her. "Deal!"

"So…what would you like?" Blake asked.

"You know, other than sweets." Yang teased.

Ruby stuck her tongue out at her and looked up at the screens.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuh, I guess I'll have cheese pizza."

"That's it? You don't want anything to drink?" Blake asked stepping up to the registers.

"Oh, um… plain milk is fine."

"Alright." Blake turned to the woman working the register. "One cheese pizza with plain milk, and a tuna fish sandwich with water please."

The woman smiled and dialed in the order. "That will be twelve points."

Blake handed the woman her scroll, and the woman swiped it in a slot in the register. It made a few beeping noises and printed out four tickets, one belonging to each item.

"Enjoy!" The woman said while handing Blake her scroll.

"Thank you." Blake put her scroll away and turned to Ruby. "Here," she said, giving Ruby the two tickets that said 'Pln. Milk' and 'Che. Piz.' "These are yours."

Ruby took the tickets and giggled. "Hehe. It says 'che piz'."

Blake smiled. "They have to abbreviate the name so it fits on the ticket."

"Look at mine." Yang said with a grin after ordering.

Ruby looked at her tickets and laughed. "What is 'Grl che and tom'?"

"Grilled cheese and tomato soup."

Both girls laughed and Blake smiled. "This way Ruby."

The trio headed over to the other side of the counter where a fancy booth was set up. A man standing behind the counter was fiddling with is hat until he saw the girls walk up to him.

"Hello girls. What'll it be?" He asked with a smile.

Yang handed him her tickets. He looked at them and spoke into a microphone clipped onto his shirt. "Grilled cheese and tomato soup with strawberry lemonade! No Ice!"

He put the tickets into a box on the counter, and turned to Blake. "And for you?" He smiled.

She smiled back and handed him her tickets. While he went through the same procedure, Blake turned to Ruby.

"As you could guess, this is where we hand in the tickets." Blake said. "We also get our food here."

As if on que, another man walked up behind the counter and set a tray down.

"One grilled cheese and tomato soup with lemonade, no ice." He smiled and walked back into the kitchen.

"Would you like a little umbrella to go with your drink?" The man with the hat asked.

"Yes please." Yang grinned. He reached into the counter and pulled out a wrapped miniature umbrella and set it on her tray.

"Here you are."

"Thank you." Yang took her tray and walked out of the line. "I'll go find Sun." She said.

"Alright. We'll meet up with you in a bit." Blake waved.

"What is the box for?" Ruby asked the man.

"Ah. You see, after I receive the tickets and give out the orders, they go in this box. At the end of the day, this box and multiple others get shipped to Atlas, where they then get dispersed into multiple charity events. The tickets get traded in with real food that is given to people in need. So in other words, every time you order something, a family in need gets food for free."

"That's amazing!" Ruby beamed.

"Sure is!" The man smiled. "Anyway, may I have your tickets?"

"Oh! Yeah, here." Ruby smiled and handed them over.

"Thank you very much!" He repeated her order into the mic as Blake's order came out.

"One tuna fish sandwich with water."

"Thank you." Blake smiled and took her tray.

"Would you like an umbrella with that?"

Blake was going to kindly decline, but then she figured she could give it to Yang for her enormous collection. "Sure."

The man handed her a small umbrella that matched Yang's. "Here ya go."

"Thank you." Blake took the umbrella and set it down next to her drink.

"And what about for you?" The man asked Ruby.

"Sure." She shrugged. She figured she could 'give' it to Yang by secretly putting it in the hood of her jacket.

The man handed her one as Ruby's food came out.

"One cheese pizza with plain milk."

"Thank you." She smiled and picked up her tray.

"Have a nice lunch ladies."

"Thank you!" They replied and went to go find Yang.

Eventually they found her at the end of the cafeteria, sitting down with Sun.

"There you are." Blake said while sitting down next to Yang and across from Sun. "We searched all over for you."

"Sorry." Yang apologized. "We thought you would be able to find us easily."

"That's alright. Also here, you can have this." Blake said while handing Yang her umbrella.

"Yay! Thanks!" Yang took the umbrella and set it down next to her own. When she wasn't looking, Ruby carefully put her umbrella in Yang's hood and set her tray down on the table.

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna' go find Jaune."

"The guy you met in first period?" Blake asked before taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Yep. We planned to meet up during this time."

"That's so cuuuuuuuuuute!" Yang teased.

"Shuddup Yang, it's not like that." Ruby pouted.

"Whatever you sa-ow!"

Blake swatted Yang on the back of her head to get her to stop.

"Alright, but don't be too long. Your pizza will get cold."

"I won't!" Ruby smiled and started to look around for Jaune.

' _Now where could he be?'_ She tapped her chin a few times and wondered around the cafeteria. After a few minutes of searching, she heard her name being called from behind…. but the voice didn't belong to Jaune. Ruby turned around in confusion and saw Weiss walking up to her; a small pout was on her face. At first, Ruby wondered what the white haired princess could have wanted, but then memories of last period flashed in her mind.

 _'_ _Uh oh.'_

"There you are." Weiss said with a huff. "We need to talk."

Ruby gulped and smiled weakly. "Uh, about the dodgeball game… I-"

"Save it." Weiss interrupted. She looked around the cafeteria and pulled Ruby over to an empty table. "Sit."

Ruby immediately did as she was told and sat up straight with her hands on her knees. Weiss sat down across from her and sighed.

"You don't have to be so stiff."

Ruby relaxed a little and spoke softly. "I'm sorry about messing up our pla-"

"I said save it."

Ruby instantly shut her mouth.

"Look," Weiss sighed again, "I'm not mad at you for slipping up at the end of the game. I will admit it was a bit frustrating, but I know better than to get upset over something as small as loosing."

Ruby felt a pang of relieve in her chest, but she was still nervous about what Weiss had to say.

"As a matter of fact, I actually searched for you to… apologize… for my behavior earlier."

Ruby felt her heart stop and she sat there dumbfounded. _'She wants to apologize?'_

"I hate to admit it, but, I have a bad habit of lashing out my anger on people when I am stressed… and I know that that is not fair to you, or anyone else. So… I'm… sorry…"

Ruby could tell that Weiss was having a hard time saying all of this.

"And I know that just saying I'm sorry won't fully prove anything, so if you… ever… need any favorers, I'd be happy to help."

Ruby sat there in thought for a moment. She smiled and looked up at Weiss.

"I forgive you."

It was Weiss' turn to be dumbfounded. "What?"

"I forgive you."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah. I mean, you don't need to do anything to show me you're sorry. You already apologized, and you mentioned that you had been stressed. I know that it's hard to control other emotions when being stressed out, so I understand now that you were in that position. So, I forgive you."

Weiss sat there in shock, finding it unbelievable that she had already been forgiven.

"Well, is there still anything I can do?"

"Nope!" Ruby's smile grew warmer. "But if you ever want to talk about anything, I'd be happy to help."

 _'_ _What?'_ How did this suddenly turn around? Weiss felt that she needed to help Ruby, but now Ruby was trying to help her? After the way she treated her?

Weiss' eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Just who are you?"

Ruby giggled and held out her hand. "Let's start this over. My name is Ruby Rose. I'm a clumsy girl who loves to eat sweets and read fairytales."

Weiss sat there with her mouth slightly agape, but she hesitantly shook Ruby's hand and complied. "My name is Weiss Schnee," she sighed, "a girl who likes to fence in her free time, and is the heir to her father's position."

"It's nice to formally meet you Weiss."

"…It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

They both sat there in silence, not really knowing what else to say. Before things could get awkward, Weiss decided it would be a good time to excuse herself.

"Well, I should be on my way." She said standing up. "I will… see you next class?"

"Yep!" Ruby continued to smile and stood up as well.

"Alright then." With that, Weiss nodded and walked off, sharing one final glance with Ruby.

"See ya…" Ruby said, though it wasn't intended for Weiss to hear.

 _'_ _I wonder what she's been stressed about?_ ' Ruby thought. She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to push anything. She also knew from personal experience that it is better not to pry, and to just let Weiss tell Ruby herself.

"Ruby!"

Ruby was suddenly ripped out of her thoughts and she turned around to find Jaune a few feet away from her.

"Oh, hey Jaune! I was looking for you earlier." She said.

"Oh, sorry about that. I was… busy." The way Jaune looked off to the side made Ruby curious, but she decided not to question him about it.

"Anyway, have you ordered lunch yet?" He asked while messing with is bangs.

"Yeah, but I wanted to find you before I ate. What about you?"

"Nah, I had a big breakfast."

"Alright. Well, would you like to come sit with my friends and I?"

He shrugged his shoulders with a smile. "Sure."

"This way." Ruby said, returning the smile.

She led him to the table everyone else was sitting at, and when they got there, Ruby noticed that Ren and Nora made it to the table as well.

"Hey guys." Ruby said while sitting down in front of her tray, and Jaune sat next to her.

"Hey Ruby. What took so long?" Yang asked with a mouth full of food.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, Yang." Ruby said flatly.

"Okay _Dad_." Yang said after swallowing.

"Anyway, I ran into Weiss, and she wanted to talk real quick."

"Ah." Yang said while shoving a spoonful of soup in her mouth.

"Also, guys, this is Jaune."

"Hello." They all said.

"Jaune this is Blake, Sun, my dorky sister Yang,"

"Hey."

"Ren, and Nora."

"It's nice to meet you all." He said shyly.

Suddenly, Nora leaned over the table and held her face about three inches away from his. She stared him in the eyes and he shuffled awkwardly, messing with his bangs.

"Hmmmmmm." She hummed skeptically with a slight pout.

"KINDERGARDEN!" She suddenly yelled, startling everyone. "We met in kindergarten once!"

"You remember that?!" Jaune baffled. "I don't!"

"Nonono!" Nora said while sitting back down. "You tripped on your shoelace and face planted into the sand castle I was building!"

Jaune blushed deeply, suddenly remembering the incident.

"…Sorry?" He said weakly.

Nora smiled at him and snorted. "Nah! Don't worry about it, that was years ago!"

Jaune laughed awkwardly and messed with his bangs again.

Blake suddenly noticed that he didn't have lunch. "Are you going to eat anything?" She asked.

Jaune waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, I had a big breakfast, so I'm not really hungr-"

His stomach suddenly growled, causing everyone to look at him. He sat there blankly then laughed awkwardly.

"Hehe…he… Would you look at the time! I'll be leaving now!" Before he could stand up, Nora reached across the table and grabbed his wrist, giving him a look that said 'STAY.'

Jaune looked at her for a few seconds then sighed, giving up on escaping. He fumbled with his bangs again when Nora let go of his wrist.

"So…" Sun said awkwardly. 'You wanna' tell us what's up?"

Jaune sighed defeatedly and hung his head down. "My scroll broke so I can't order anything."

"Well why didn't you just say so?" Ruby asked.

Jaune messed with his bangs once more and mumbled something inaudible.

Ren noticed this and a look of realization filled his eyes. "You keep messing with your bangs." He said calmly.

Jaune suddenly froze in place. "…bad habit of mine?"

Ren calmly shook his head. "You don't have to feel ashamed Jaune. Just tell us the truth."

"You noticed?"

Ren nodded once.

Jaune sighed again and explained himself. "I may or may not have been bullied into giving Cardin my lunch, and he may or may not have punched me in the forehead when I refused, and the probability of him winning the argument and breaking my scroll may be one hundred percent." He said while moving his bangs, revealing a nasty bruise.

Save for Ruby, the entire table groaned at hearing about Cardin.

"Who's he?" Ruby asked.

"Cardin Winchester is the biggest, dumbest, most arrogant guy on campus." Yang stated flatly.

"How long has he been picking on you?" Blake asked.

Jaune shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, you know, about a week… or two… or all year." He finished weakly.

"What?!" The entire table said in unison.

"Why haven't you told anyone?" Sun asked.

"He… intimidates me to the point of being too scared to."

"That's it!" Nora yelled while standing up. She pounded her fist into her hand. "I'll break his legs!"

"That isn't really necessary…" Jaune said hopelessly.

"His arms?"

"No Nora."

"His teeth?"

"No."

"His fingers?"

" _No_."

"Ooh! What about I kick him in the-"

"OKAY Nora, that's enough." Ren said, trying to get her to sit down.

"Darn." She said defeatedly and sat down. "I really wanted to do that last one."

" _Anyway_ ," Jaune said, "I really appreciate it guys, but I wouldn't want any of you to get on his bad side."

"It's more like the other way around." Yang said while gritting her teeth. "He doesn't want to get on _our_ bad side."

"And he already has." Nora finished.

Yang and Nora both held evil smiles, but Blake whapped Yang on the head again.

"No."

"Why did you only hit me?!"

Blake ignored the question. "You are not getting _another_ detention Yang."

"What about Nora?!"

"You really think I can convince her stop?"

"Yeah Yang! No one can stop _this_ lightening rod!" Nora said while laughing evilly. She immediately stopped when Ren put his hand on her shoulder.

"No Nora."

"Okay Renny!" She said happily.

"That escalated quickly."

" _Anyway_ , again, I really appreciate it, but I'm fine." Jaune said with a sad smile.

The entire group gave him a worried look.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah… I mean, if I want to get him to stop, I have to learn how to fend for myself. Otherwise, I'll never get stronger. So… if I am not able to stand up to him one more time, _then_ I'll get help. I promise."

The group relaxed a little. "Alright," Nora said, "But my offer to break his legs is still up."

"That's alright… but…thank you." Jaune's smile became warmer.

"We're here for you Jaune." Blake said, and everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"We got you buddy!" Sun gave him a thumbs up.

Before Jaune could reply, the bell that ended lunch rang.

"We better get going." He said.

Everyone else agreed and got up, taking care of their trays on the way out.

"So, what class do you have next Ruby?" Jaune asked as the group exited the cafeteria.

Ruby pulled out her schedule and looked at her last class of the day.

"I've got Theatre next."

The entire group stopped in their tracks and looked at Ruby.

"…What?" She asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

The group looked at each other and laughed, causing Ruby to blush.

"Nope!" Yang said happily.

"We all have theatre as well." Ren said with a smile.

"Whoa, really?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Yep!" Nora slung her arm around Ruby's shoulders. "And now that you're with us, things will get a whole lot more exiting!" She said cheerfully.

Everyone else agreed, causing Ruby to blush.

"Well... let's go then!"

The group continued to chat as they made their way to their last class, evermore excited that they'll get to spend it with each other.

 _To be continued_


	9. Chapter 7: A New Coincidence

Disclaimer: I do nor own RWBY or any of its characters. It belongs to RoosterTeeth and was created by Monty Oum

Roses and Thorns

Chapter 7: A New Coincidence

Ruby sat awkwardly in her seat. ' _This class is_ huge.'

"How many people are in here again?" She asked Yang.

"About fifty," she answered, "though a good portion of them are in stage tech."

Ruby swallowed the lump in her throat. ' _And I thought first period was a big class…'_

"Are you alright? You look stiff." Blake asked while taking a seat next to Yang.

"I'm just a little overwhelmed is all. But I'll be fine." Ruby said while trying to relax.

"Yeah, I remember the first day we had this class." Jaune said while shuddering at the memory. "That was not fun."

"I remember that!" Nora laughed. "You tripped on your way up the stage and caused a few microphones to fall over, causing one of them to shorten out and blow a fuse! The power in that entire hallway was out for a whole day!"

"Please don't remind me…" Jaune pulled his hood up over his face and shrunk in his seat.

"Why? It was hilarious."

The five looked up to see a tall young man with orange hair and a black bowler hat standing in front of them. He was leaning on a hooked cane and had a tooth pick hanging out of his mouth.

"Though my favorite part was the priceless little look you had on your face." He laughed. "Your eyes where the size of dinner plates!"

Jaune blushed deeply and shrunk even more. He mumbled out a small "It wasn't that funny."

"I'm just messin' with ya' kiddo." The man smiled and turned to Ruby. "I actually came over here to meet you." He said while pointing at her.

Ruby stood up and extended her hand. "Oh, uh, I'm Ruby Rose."

Instead of shaking her hand, the man lightly slapped it, giving her a high five. "Nice to meet ya' Red. Can I call you Red?"

"Uh-"

"I'm gonna' call you Red." His smile grew and he pointed to himself. "The name's Torchwick; though I prefer to have my students call me Roman."

"You're a teacher?" Ruby asked absentmindedly and slapped her hand on her mouth as soon as she realized she said it.

Roman tilted his head back and huffed out a laugh. "Don't look so guilty kid!" He said. "It isn't the first time that's happened… I actually find it quite amusing when someone mistakes me for a student."

"I've done it to." Yang said while smiling slightly. "But I still sometimes mistake the other one for a middle schooler."

"Other one?" Ruby asked.

Roman chuckled and pointed up at the sound booth behind them. "You see that girl up there?"

Ruby turned around and looked up into the sound booth. She saw a young girl with pink and brown hair working with the sound board. She was wearing a black shirt that said 'Tech Team', and also had a headset resting around her neck.

"Her name's Neapolitan, but she goes by Neo." Roman explained. "She's my assistant teacher; while I teach the theatrical part of class, she teaches and helps the kids in stage tech."

"How…old is she?" Ruby asked. She could see why people mistook her for a middle schooler.

"She's three months shy of being twenty."

Yang laughed. "She looks twelve!"

"So… did she recently graduate?" Ruby asked.

Roman shook his head. "She graduated early and is taking college online. She works as my assistant as a part time job, which is why this class is so big; fourth period is the only class that teaches stage tech."

"Oh. That's cool." Ruby smiled. She felt a slight connection with the girl, considering how Ruby 'graduated' from middle school two years early. Also because she finally knew someone who was actually _shorter_ than her.

"It's too bad she only gets one class to teach." Roman said. "She's pretty darn good at it for her condition."

Ruby was about to ask him what he meant by 'condition' but he had already begun to walk away.

"Would ya' look at the time!" He said while looking up at a clock on the wall. "I gotta' get class started." He hopped up on the stage and Ruby took her seat. Roman clapped his hands a few times to get everyone's attention. When he had it, he cleared his throat and began.

"Alright class, as you know, we will be putting on a play here in a few months."

When he said it, a large portion of the class began hooting and cheering slightly, while a few others groaned. ' _Whelp, that tells me who didn't want this class but still got it.'_ Ruby thought.

"Alright, alright, calm down everyone." Roman said with a smile. "Now, seeing how we have a new student with us, and also the fact that some of you don't like to listen, I will explain the play once again." He moved the toothpick to the other side of his mouth. "This play will be graded on how well you can improvise, as well as memorize." He said. "Large portions of the play are already scripted for you, and the rest -is not. The reason for this is because the characters do not exist yet… so there is only key dialogue and movements you have to memorize. With the rest, you have to improvise based on the character you have chosen to act out, of course, I have to give you permission to use that character first." Roman twirled his cane in his hand and paced back and forth on the stage, making Ruby realize he didn't actually need it. "You will have minimal props, and the rest you have to mime; though you will have costumes," Roman smiled at some of the students' reactions, "but you have to make whatever props and costumes you need yourself." He laughed when their reactions changed. "Now, this will be a mixture of comedy, tragedy, adventure, and whatever you choose to make it."

Yang leaned towered Ruby and whispered to her. "Fantasy violence."

Ruby chuckled silently and shook her head. Fantasy violence was her and Yang's favorite genre.

"Fantasy violence for example!" Roman announced and pointed the end of his cane at Yang.

"I didn't think you heard that." She said with a blank expression.

"I didn't. I just know you that well." Roman smiled and winked at her playfully.

Yang winked back and shot hand guns at him, and he returned the gesture, causing the class to laugh slightly.

"As I said before, the play will be in a few months, so you have _plenty_ of time to choose your characters, make your props and costumes, and practice." He smiled. "So you should ace this _easy_ , I mean, unless you choose to not work and end up procrastinating until the last second." He smiled.

Some of the students shuffled awkwardly in their seats. Ruby almost laughed when Yang blew out a soft whistle and shifted awkwardly as well.

"Now, my part of the class, I would like to all to choose a partner to practice your scripts with. Whoever you choose will be your partner up until the play, so choose wisely; though you have my permission to work with other pairs." The class mumbled amongst themselves; friend groups already pairing up just by giving each other the ' _yo bud, how you doin'_ ' look.

"Tech team, I want you to get instructions from Neo on what to do for the play." Roman said. As if on que, Neo appeared on the stage. Ruby nearly choked on her own breath when seeing Neo at a closer perspective. ' _She really does look twelve!_ ' Neo made a motion with her hand, and the tech students stood up and went with her into the sound booth.

"I'll go get your scripts from my office, so in the meantime partner up." At that, he walked off the stage and went to go get the scripts.

The students immediately started getting in pairs. Ruby had no idea who team up with, so she just sat there, thinking about her options.

' _Let's see… there's Yang and Blake, though they might want to pair up… there's also Nora and Ren…_ ' Ruby looked up to see Nora hug attack the poor boy, but he only smiled and awkwardly hugged her back. ' _Okay, never mind… there is also Su- he paired up with the blue haired guy… hmm… oh! Jaune!'_ Ruby looked up again and saw him talking to a tall red haired girl. They seemed like they had already paired up so Ruby went back to choosing her options. ' _Okay… oh! Velvet and Yatsu-what's his name are also here!... but they have partners too…hmmm._ '

"I hate to break you from whatever you're thinking about, but it seems you don't have a partner."

Ruby looked up and saw Weiss standing in front of her.

"And quite frankly, neither do I."

Ruby looked around the room, then back up at Weiss. She slowly pointed to herself.

Weiss rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Yes, I'm talking to you, ya' dolt."

Ruby stood up and awkwardly put her hands in her hoody pocket. She shyly shrugged her shoulders and looked Weiss in the eyes. "…Would you… like to be partners?"

"That's what I was hinting at, yes."

Ruby blushed slightly and shuffled on her feet. "Soooo… what would you like to practice? The improv. or the memorization?"

"I think we should look over our scripts fist." Weiss said. "That way we have a better idea on how to approach this."

Ruby nodded her head. "Sounds like a plan."

"Hopefully it won't get screwed up this time." Weiss said.

Ruby felt her heart sink a little, but then she saw Weiss' smile.

"I'm just messing with you Ruby." She said.

Ruby smiled back. "Oh, heheh…"

An awkward silence fell on the two.

"Alright, I have your scripts!" Roman announced when he was back on the stage. "Pick as randomly as you like. It doesn't matter which one you get." He plopped the large pile of packets down onto the stage, and the students went up and grabbed them.

Ruby and Weiss both grabbed a random packet and sat down by the wall. Everyone was scattered around the theatre, so they went somewhere where there was a little more space.

"Who'd you get?" Ruby asked. She saw that at the top of her packet, a set of bold letters read 'Person B', and all of person B's lines were highlighted.

"I have Person I." Weiss said. "What about you?"

"I got Person B." She said.

Weiss skimmed through the packet, trying to figure out how to read it.

"It looks like most of the lines are written for us." She said. "And the blank underlined spaces are where we are supposed to improvise."

Ruby looked through her packet as well and nodded in agreement. "Looks like I have a ton to improvise…" Ruby said somewhat defeatedly.

"Mine says I have to come up with a small catchphrase for my character." Weiss said, while holding her chin in thought.

Ruby giggled and whispered, "You could use your whole 'dunce/dolt' thing you got goin'."

"That could actually work." Weiss said while raising her eyebrows.

"Whoa, wait I was just kiddi-"

"No, that's actually something I could use." Weiss interrupted. "From the looks of the rest of my script, it fits my character's personality perfectly."

"O-oh… well, alright then. I was also gonna' say 'bazainga!' but the other one's better." Ruby smiled.

"… Bazainga?" Weiss repeated flatly.

Ruby looked at her for a few seconds then coughed once. "Never mind that…"

Weiss rolled her eyes with a smirk and went back to reading through her script.

"Do you know who you want your character to be yet?" Ruby asked after a while.

"I have one in mind, but I'm not certain if they need to match the personalities of our characters." Weiss answered.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "Wanna' go ask?"

"Sure." Weiss said while standing up.

Ruby stood up as well and they went to go ask Roman. There were a few students already talking to him, so they had to wait a few minutes.

"What about you," Weiss asked, "have you decided yet?"

"I'm hoping to be Red Riding Hood." Ruby said.

"Why am I not surprised?" Weiss smiled.

Ruby looked at her for a few seconds. "…Weiss sure has been smiling a lot recently… it's a really pretty smile." She said softly.

"Wh-what?" Weiss' brows furrowed and she blushed slightly.

"What?! Wait- I didn't mean to- ah- um… never mind!" Ruby looked away from Weiss and mentally kicked herself for accidentally saying it out loud.

They both stood there awkwardly until Roman walked up to them. "May I help you ladies with anything?" He asked.

"Yes please." Weiss said while trying to get rid of her blush. "We were wondering if the characters we choose have to match the personalities of the lines in the script?"

"Nope." Roman smiled while popping the 'p'. "Who would you like to be?"

"I'd like to be Red Riding Hood." Ruby said, causing Roman to laugh.

"I figured as much. Your red hoodie pretty much shouts 'Red Riding Hood'."

"Heheh, yeah…" Ruby tried her best to push away any sad thought that crossed her mind; her mother made her that hoodie after all.

"What about you?" Roman asked, turning to Weiss.

"I'd like to be Snow White." She said. She flinched when Roman barked out laughing, gaining some of the students' attention.

"That's amazing!" He laughed. "You're German, right?"

"Yes, though I failed to pick up the accent." She said dully.

Roman opened his mouth to ask another question, but Weiss already knew what it was.

"And yes, my name does translate to White Snow." Her facial expression grew annoyed when Ruby laughed to.

"Haha! You're first name is a color!" She giggled.

"Well, last I checked, yours is too _Ruby_."

Roman laughed even harder when Ruby immediately shut up with a look of bewilderment across her face.

"You have my permission to use those characters." He said while chuckling.

"It isn't that funny." Weiss said dully.

"It isn't just you," Roman gestured to the rest of the class, "so far everyone else is choosing characters that fit them in some way." He smiled. "For example, Yang asked to be Goldie Locks, and Blake asked to be Bell from Beauty and the Beast. Nora wants to be Thor,"

Ruby chuckled and Weiss smirked at that.

"And Ren wants to be Mulan," he said. "ya' see, it's funny."

"I suppose it's a bit amusing…" Weiss said with a small smile.

"Mr. Roman?"

The three turned to see three more people coming at them. Ruby recognized one of them as Mercury.

"We have our characters in mind." One of them said. She had wavy black hair that covered one of her amber eyes. Mercury had dusty grey hair and greyish violet eyes. The third one had light, dusty green hair and deep red eyes and she also had a darker skin tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are we interrupting?" The black haired one asked, though the tone she apologized in sounded fake.

"Oh, no. You're okay." Ruby smiled.

"I don't believe I've met you before?" The black haired girl asked.

"She's the one I told you about from gym." Mercury said, causing a light 'ah' from the girl.

"Well, it's nice to meet the one who obliterated my friend in dodge ball." She said while extending her hand.

"Sorry about that." Ruby said to Mercury while shaking the girl's hand.

"Don't worry about it.' He smirked.

"And, I'm Ruby."

"Cinder," The girl said, "and these two are Mercury and Emerald."

"Hey." They both said.

"Ruby, we should get back to work." Weiss said suddenly. She had a slight scowl on her face, and she was looking directly at Cinder. Cinder gave her a challenging smirk, and tension filled the air around them.

"Let's go." Weiss grabbed Ruby's wrist and dragged her off of the stage, not needing to look back to know about the look Cinder gave her.

"What was that about? Are you okay?" Ruby asked when they were a safe distance from the stage.

Weiss let go of her wrist. "Don't let her fool you Ruby," she said coldly. "Cinder is not all she pretends to be."

Ruby gave Weiss a concerned look. "What… happened?"

Weiss was silent for a moment. "…Just don't trust her Ruby. Not her, not Mercury, and not Emerald."

"But-"

"It isn't worth it Ruby." Weiss grabbed Ruby's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "It _isn't worth it_."

Ruby noticed the pained look in Weiss' eyes, and it was enough to convince her.

"…Alright." Ruby sighed. "I trust you."

Weiss relaxed and let go of Ruby's shoulders. "Thank you…"

Ruby nodded her head slightly. She hesitantly held her arms out to hug Weiss, but rested them back at her sides instead.

"So… should we practice?" Weiss asked after a while.

"Sure." Ruby smiled slightly, and Weiss returned it.

"Wanna' start from the beginning?" Ruby asked.

"That would probably be best." Weiss flipped her packet back to the first page. "I don't have any lines yet, so you can start."

"I don't either." Ruby said while skimming through her own. "I start on page three."

"Alright. Then do you want to practice the lines we have together for now?" Weiss asked.

"Sure."

The girls flipped to the page in their packets where they both start.

"Alright." Ruby said, and started reading her lines.

She began at "I don't know what I'm doing."

"What are you doing?!" Weiss began as well.

"Sorry."

"Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused!?"

Both girls stopped and stared at their lines. They looked up at each other and then back down at their packets.

"It… says I crash into you." Ruby said weakly. "And that I fall over and cause a bunch of stuff to fly everywhere…"

"Just like this morning…" Weiss continued. They looked up at each other again and had dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"What… does this mean?" Ruby asked dramatically.

"I have no clue." Weiss answered back.

"What's up girls? What's with the dumbfounded looks?" Yang asked while walking over to them. Blake was following Yang while reading her script and didn't know Yang stopped walking until she lightly bumped into her, causing her to look up.

"What's with the dumbfounded looks?" Blake asked again, so sucked into the script that she didn't hear Yang already ask it.

"Look at this." Ruby said while showing them her and Weiss' dialogue. "I'm person B and Weiss is person I."

Yang took her script and held it to where she and Blake could read it. The more they read, the wider their grins grew.

"This is priceless!" Yang laughed. "This is almost exactly what happened in first period!"

"Look, Jaune even helps her up!" Blake smiled.

"Jaune?" Ruby and Weiss asked in unison.

Yang handed Ruby back her script. "We talked to the others to see who they were, and Jaune is Person C."

Ruby looked at the page and saw that Person C helps her character up.

"Oh my _stars_." Ruby breathed. "It's almost as if this is us in an alternate universe!"

"A.U.'s don't exist Ruby." Weiss said flatly. "Although it is awfully strange."

"Heheh, you wanna' know something else?" Yang chuckled. "I'm Person F."

Ruby flipped through her packet and eventually found that Person F and B are siblings.

"What the heck?!" Ruby gasped. "What is this?!"

"A huge coincidence." Blake answered.

"Or it could be ALIENS!" Nora shouted, popping up out of nowhere. Ren shook his head slightly, following behind her.

"Nora you need to stop doing that!" Yang scolded while recovering from being scared half to death.

"Doing what?"

"Jumping out of nowhere at random times!"

"So you want me to jump out of nowhere at certain times?"

"No! I don't want you doing that at all!"

"It is quite startling." Blake added.

"And aliens?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah! They _do_ exist you know!"

"Really?" Weiss asked with a look of doubt.

"Yeah really! I saw one myself." Nora pointed at herself proudly. "It all began a year ago!" She narrated.

"Here we go again." Ren said while rolling his eyes.

"I was in astronomy club with Ren and Blake, and we were assigned to explore the stars and beyond!"

"We had to draw a map of the constellations." Ren corrected.

"Then, in the middle of our mission, we heard the beginnings of an alien war!"

"It was raining and she heard thunder while we were stargazing."

"While we were taking cover in our trusty hideout, I looked through our 'scope and saw a runaway alien soldier!"

"We went under the tarp canopy we set up and there was a mud spot on the lens.

"It moved Ren! And before I knew it, it was gone!"

"The rain washed it off."

"I vowed I would someday capture that alien, and called to it with my warning!"

"She ran around my backyard screaming and woke up the neighbors."

"I pulled out my weapon and fired a warning shot!"

"She stole pots and pans form my kitchen and clashed them together."

"Then, the darned alien sent reinforcements!"

"Someone called the police."

"But then, after seeing how dangerous I was, they retreated!"

"The police recognized Nora and asked her to calm down before taking their leave. They had dealt with her many times in the past for things like this."

"And ever since then, I have been searching for that alien."

"She's been hooked on this for quite some time now."

"I want to believe-!" Nora shouted while dragging out the last syllable.

Ren sighed and Blake face-palmed, giving up on trying to convince Nora about what actually happened that night.

"That's… quite a story." Ruby said.

"This _is_ Nora we're talking about." Yang chuckled. "Though I doubt aliens are the reason for this."

"Anyway, class is over in two minutes." Weiss said. "We might want to start getting our things together."

The group agreed and they went to go get their things. After packing up, the bell rang and the students took their leave.

"See you Weiss!" Ruby said with a smile.

Weiss nodded and waved slightly. "See you…"

The rest of the group started walking towered where detention was being held, and Ruby guessed that they all took part in the food fight as well. She noticed Jaune wasn't with them, and saw that he was walking with the red haired girl from earlier.

"See ya' Ruby!" He shouted and waved at her.

"Bye Jaune!" She waved back. "So, should I call Dad and ask him to pick me up?" She asked Yang.

"Oh, shoot. I forgot he had to stay late today…" Yang said while snapping her fingers.

"Oh, well I can just wait outside for you then." Ruby said. "I'd actually like to explorer the school a bit; get to know the place."

"Alright." Yang said. "It should only be an hour."

" 'Kay."

The group made it to the room and went inside.

"See ya' Ruby. Later little red. Watch out for aleins! Don't mind her. Later sis!" They all said.

"Bye guys." Ruby waved.

When the door closed behind them, Ruby started to wonder around the building, taking the time to look around at the things that hung on the walls.

"This entire school makes Vale Academy look like a child's play set." Ruby mumbled to herself.

"Well, I don't think it's _that_ big."

Ruby turned around to see a tall man with silver hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a green scarf over a deep green suit. He was leaning on a cane that was actually needed, and he extended his hand to her.

"It's nice to finally meet you Miss Rose." He smiled. "My name is Ozpin."

 _To be continued_


	10. Chapter 8: A New Scroll and Detention

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RWBY or any of it's characters. RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth and was created by Monty Oum.

Hello! Before we begin, I'd like to give a HUGE shout out to Nahee The Brave and Scoundrel Bones for being there since the beginning, and for all of the wonderful advise they have given. It means a lot to me, and they have helped keep me inspired to continue this fic. I would like to thank not only them, but all of you wonderful viewers for giving time to read Roses and Thorns, as it means so much to me to know that people are able to enjoy it. So thank you, thank you, thank you all for everything, and I hope you will continue to enjoy it. :]

Now, without further ado, Chapter 8!

Roses and Thorns

Chapter 8: A New Scroll ...and Detention

Light scratching of pencils on paper was the only sound that filled the room, save for a few bits of coughing here and there. To some people, the silence was peaceful… concentrating; but for people like Yang, it was irritating.

She bounced her leg up and down in her seat, doing anything _but_ focusing on filling out her detention form. She had her pencil resting on her puckered lips, trying to keep her makeshift mustache from falling. ' _I mustache you a question.'_ She thought to herself. ' _I'd love to hear it, but can you shave it for later? Ha! Ha! Haaaaaa I am so bored.'_ Yang slumped in her seat and rested her chin on her desk, somehow managing to keep the pencil in place. ' _I wonder what Ruby's doing right now… I hope she didn't get lost… oh yeah, I also have to tell her why I haven't told Blake that I like her.'_ Yang glanced to the left at the raven haired girl. She was quietly filling out her detention form, and Yang noticed how her bow twitched slightly. Yang smiled warmly at that, causing her pencil to lose its balance and fall on her desk.

Ruby and Yang have known about Blake secretly being a faunus for years now, and ever since then Yang has noticed a lot of small things the girl accidentally does to show it. Like how her bow will twitch every once in awhile, meaning that her cat ears were itchy or she heard something move; and like how she _always_ has tuna in her lunch, and how she likes to play with the loose thread on her shirt. Yang has also noticed how Blake will sometimes subconsciously slowly push a cup off of a table, but will catch herself and stop before the cup actually falls. Yang has only ever seen that happen twice, but finds it to be the cutest little thing Blake does. But the funniest thing is whenever Blake hangs out at Yang's house and always has trouble avoiding Zwei, because the little corgi _loves_ getting her attention.

Yang rested her cheek on her desk while still looking at Blake. She felt her heart pounding heavily in her chest, as it did every time she thought about the girl. She didn't know when she started to fall for her, but she knew that what she felt for her was genuine love. Heck, she loved every little thing about Blake, and wanted more than anything to be by her side. Yang wasn't really the clingy type, but it always made her day so much brighter whenever she was with her. It gave her a warm, welcome feeling, and even though Blake wasn't one for physical contact, Yang somehow always managed to sneak in a hug. One time she was actually able to _pet her ears_ , but of course that came with the sacrifice of the silent treatment for a week.

Yang giggled quietly to herself, remembering her greatest accomplishment; sneaking the bow off Blake's head wasn't easy.

"You need something?" Blake whispered to her, noticing how Yang was looking at her.

"I can't focus." Yang played cooly.

"Well, try harder," Blake said. "you wont be able to leave detention until you finish your form."

"I can't concentrate without something to listen to." Yang complained. "And they won't let us listen to music."

"Well then I don't know what to tell you." Blake said calmly. "Just try your best."

Yang groaned softly, but complied. She picked up her pencil and started where she left off. Shortly after she began writing, she became distracted again and started playing with her pencil.

Blake sighed and went back to her work, giving up on trying to help Yang anymore. The girl was always distracted by something when it came to school work, and Blake always had to be the one to put her back on track.

' _Why did I have to fall in love with such a slacker?'_ she thought. She glanced back at Yang, who was now trying to balance her pencil on its eraser. Blake smiled and went back to her form. She had many reasons.

* * *

Ruby walked beside Principle Ozpin through the halls, admiring all of the stories he told her about the school.

"That actually happened?" Ruby gawked.

Ozpin chuckled. "Yep. You should have seen the look on his face; it was priceless!"

"I bet!" Ruby laughed.

"I just wish I had taken a picture of it. It was the best senior prank ever pulled, in my opinion."

"I just can't believe they got away with it though."

"Oh, that was because of a little secret." Ozpin smiled.

"What's that?" Ruby asked.

Ozpin leaned over and spoke in a fake whisper. "I was in on it too."

"What, really?!"

Ozpin laughed to himself. "I had to get my revenge."

"For what?" Ruby asked.

"I didn't get my paycheck that week."

They both started laughing again, and Ruby had to wipe away a tear.

"You've gotta be the coolest principal ever." She chuckled.

"I try." Ozpin smiled. "But I am curious as to how _you_ feel about the school. Have you had a good first day? Find anything exciting?"

By now they were near the principal's office, and Ozpin dug around for his ring of keys.

"Well, it was a day alright." Ruby sighed. "But I can't really tell if it was good or bad… the point system is really cool though."

"Ah yes, the point system." Ozpin found what he was looking for and held a silver key. He unlocked the door to his office and held it open for Ruby. "We've had that since I was a student here."

"You used to go here?" Ruby asked as she entered his office.

"Why yes. A large number of the teachers that work here used to as well." He shut the door behind him and walked over to his desk.

"Was that planned?" Ruby asked jokingly.

"Actually, yes." Ozpin sat down in his chair and motioned for Ruby to sit in the guest seat.

"Waoh, really?" She asked with a look of shock. "I was only kidding."

Ozpin smiled at her. "Indeed. Long story short, she school was in danger of being shut down because a vast majority of the teachers were retiring, and no one else was looking into working here. So some of my fellow students and I all agreed to become teachers and work here, that way Beacon could continue to be the prized school it is."

"Who are the other teachers?" Ruby asked as she sat down.

"Well, to name a few, Glynda, James, Peter, Barthamellow, and Qrow."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. Ozpin looked at her for a few seconds then realized his mistake.

"Ah sorry, I meant Goodwitch, Ironwood, Port, Oobleck and Brawnwen."

"Ooh." Ruby said, but then she jumped in her seat. "Wait- Qrow Brawnwen works here?!"

Ozpin nodded once. "He teaches Criminal Justice and works as a security guard. If my memory serves me correctly, you have his fourth period class tomorrow. I assume you know him?"

"He's my uncle." Ruby answered.

Ozpin's raised his eyebrows in shock. "Well, it's a small world now, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Ruby smiled. "But I actually haven't seen him in a few years."

Ozpin smiled. "Then I'm sure you two will be glad to see each other again."

Ruby hummed in agreement.

"Would it be alright to ask why? My curiosity has gotten the best of me."

"Why we'd be happy to see each other?" Ruby asked with confusion.

"No," Ozpin chuckled, "why it's been a few years since you've seen him. He's explained to me before that his family met up every summer, but you said it's been a few years since you've seen him?"

"Oh." Ruby blushed slightly at her misunderstanding, but it quickly faded. "Well, a year ago, he had to cancel because of something with work,"

Ozpin hummed and nodded his head. "I remember that. Someone broke into the school to try and steal money from the cafeteria registers, only to find out that we use points instead of lien."

"Is that another reason why you have the point system?" Ruby asked.

"Not at first." Ozpin smiled. "And that reminds me, I need to get you a scroll. But first, please continue."

"Ah, right." Ruby looked up in thought to remember where she left off. "Anyway that's why we didn't see him that year, but this past summer, Mom and I were supposed to meet Dad, Uncle Qrow and Yang at the beach in Mistral, but we had to cancel the meeting last second because Yang got really sick."

Ozpin hummed in understanding. "So why did you move here, if you don't mind my asking."

Ruby's shoulders slumped a little. "Well, since we had to cancel our meeting in summer, Mom took a week off of work so she and I could meet up with them at their house three weeks ago… but…" Ruby felt tears beginning to form in her eyes, but she fought them from falling. "On our way there, we got in a pretty bad car crash."

Ozpin's posture changed slightly at hearing that.

"When… when I woke up in the hospital, the doctors explained what happened, but Dad… he was the one who told me that Mom didn't make it." Ruby had to stop and close her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and Ozpin waited until she was ready to speak again.

"So, we decided that I was going to move in with my Uncle, Dad and Yang, and I've been there for two weeks now, but I only started going back to school today..."

"...I see." Ozpin said it so softly he thought he didn't say it at all; he was at a loss for words. She had only lost her mother _three weeks_ ago, so the pain of losing her was still fresh. "I'm sorry to hear that… I didn't mean to ask about something so sensitive."

"It's alright," Ruby wiped her eyes, "You didn't know… and… I have Dad, Yang, and my Uncle to help me through it... and… I'm here for them too."

Ozpin smiled warmly. "I have to say I admire your strength, Miss Rose. To have to go through so much in so little time, but remain strong; you don't see too many people like that these days."

Ruby returned the warm smile. "My mother always taught me that good things can come out of the bad ones, you just have to treat the situation right." Ruby thought about her mother's saying, and softly repeated it to herself.

"Every rose has it's thorn, and it may hurt. But if you take good care of it, and treat it right, it will bloom into something beautiful."

"That's very wise." Ozpin smiled warmly.

Ruby returned a small smile. "She always was."

There was a moment of silence. It wasn't awkward, but peaceful, and it let the mood settle down.

"Shall we get you a scroll?" Ozpin asked after a while.

"Sure." Ruby smiled.

Ozpin smiled back. "Alright then."

He calmly stood up and motioned Ruby to follow. He led her to the other side of his large office to a door that said "Staff Only". He pulled out his ring of keys and used the light blue one to open the first lock, and a bronze one to open the lock on the nob.

"We try to keep this room as secure as possible." Ozpin explained to Ruby as he dialed a set of numbers in a keypad, unlocking the last lock. "We don't want just anyone getting in here."

He opened the door and the lights came on automatically, showing another large room filled with file cabinets and important documents. Ozpin walked over to a large cabinet labeled "Scrolls" and used another key to open the second drawer.

"Do you know the basics?" He asked Ruby while pulling out a scroll.

"Yeah, Yang and Blake explained most of it to me."

"That makes things easier than." He smiled. He handed the scroll to Ruby and shut and locked the drawer. They exited the room and Ozpin locked it, resetting the keypad.

Ruby examined her new scroll and noticed it didn't have a color scheme like Blake and Yang's. She also couldn't get the thing to open. "Uh… I can't get it open." She said.

"That's because I haven't unlocked it yet." Ozpin smiled. "Here, let me see it."

Ruby handed him her scroll and he sat back down at his desk. "We keep all the scrolls locked so no one can get into it." He explained.

"Oh, so it's like a one use password to get in?" Ruby asked.

"Precisely." Ozpin pinched the two longer sides of the scroll and it beeped once. He cleared his throat and spoke each syllable clearly. "James-Iron-wood-has-a-big-head." The Scroll beeped again and it unclicked, letting him open it all the way.

"That's the password?" Ruby chuckled.

"For now, yes. I change it every month."

"Does Mr. Ironwood know about it?"

"Nope, and let's keep it that way."

Ruby chuckled again and Ozpin logged onto his computer, opening up the scroll database.

"Now we just need to hook up your scroll to the system." He opened up a few links and typed in a few codes, opening up the Student Database.

"The neat thing about this is that it hooks up wirelessly." He turned on the scroll and the holographic screen blinked on, asking for a password. "What would you like your four digit code to be?"

Ruby looked up in thought for a minute, then came up with a password. "In all caps, 'R.W.B.Y.'."

"That's quite unique," Ozpin smiled, "do the letters stand for something?"

"Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang." Ruby answered. "My name, and the names of my some-what friend, best friend, and sister."

"I see." Ozpin dialed the code into the scroll, and it automatically set it as the password. He turned the screen off and back on setting it back to the password screen, and handed the scroll to Ruby.

"Here, give it a test run."

Ruby typed in her password and the screen changed the home screen. "It worked."

"Excellent." Ozpin typed a few other things into his computer, and Ruby's scroll beeped once. "There, all set."

Ruby looked dumbfounded. "That's it?"

"Yep. The rest hooks up automatically. You just have to wait two hours before you can use it." Ozpin stood up and walked over to the door. "Do you have any other questions?"

"How do you change the color scheme?" Ruby asked.

"Just go into the settings and go to 'display'," He smiled, "anything else?"

"Nope. Thank you for the help."

"My pleasure." Ozpin opened the door for Ruby and she exited the room. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, that's alright." Ruby smiled. "Thank you."

"Absolutely… and Miss Rose?"

"Yes?"

"Welcome to Beacon."

Ruby hummed and nodded. She waved to him as he closed the door, then went to wander around the school again. After walking around for some time, Ruby found a nearby clock on the wall that read '4:15 PM'.

"The hour's up already?" She asked aloud. Now that she thought about it, the day did go by pretty fast. She begun to head back to the detention room, but came to a quick realization.

"...I'm lost."

* * *

"Where is she?" Yang asked. She and Blake were waiting outside the detention room for Ruby, hoping she would show up. "It's been 28 minutes."

"Do you think she got lost?" Blake responded.

"Probably." Yang walked away from the wall she was leaning on and motioned for Blake to follow. "Come on, let's go find her."

Blake nodded once and followed Yang down the hallway. "Ruby!" She called out while cupping her hands around her mouth.

No response.

"RUBY!" Yang shouted, but all that could be heard was the echoing of her voice down the empty hall.

"Do you think one of the teachers made her leave?" Blake asked.

"No, she would have texted me…" Yang answered.

Blake stopped in her tracks and looked dully at Yang.

"What?" She asked.

"Why didn't we just text her?" Blake deadpanned.

Yang facepalmed and sighed. "Gah! Of course!" She pulled out her phone and opened up her contacts, but before she could find Ruby's name, her phone suddenly died, the empty battery icon flashing on the screen.

"... My phone just died…" Yang sighed.

"Do you remember her number?" Blake asked while pulling out her phone.

"... Nope."

"Nevermind then…"

Blake put her phone back in her pocket and they started to walk again. After a few minutes of searching they decided to look for her upstairs.

"Ruby!" Blake called again, but to no avail.

After another few minutes, Yang took a large breath and shouted down the hall, "RUBY DOOBY DOO! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Still no response.

"Uhg. Where is she?" Yang asked again.

"I'm not sure…"

"Girls? What are you doing here so late?"

The two turned around to see Principle Ozpin walking toward them.

"We came from detention." Blake answered. "We're just looking for Ruby."

Ozpin's eyebrows went up slightly. "Why, she was just with me not too long ago."

"She was?" Yang asked.

"I was getting her a scroll." He explained.

"Did you see her at all afterwards?" Blake asked.

Ozpin shook his head. "I did not. But she might still be around there."

"We'll go look there then." Yang said. "Thankyou Principle Ozpin."

"My pleasure. Good luck finding her." He said.

"Thanks. Come on Blake." At that both girls headed toward the other side of the school, and Ozpin went back to where he was going. After another ten minutes of searching, the girls heard their names being called.

"Yang! Blake!" The two turned around to see the lost girl running toward them, but she slowed down to a walk when she got closer to them. "I'msosorryIwasonmywaybacktothedetentionroombutIgotlostandItriedtocallyoubutitwentstraighttoyourvoicemailand-"

"Ruby!" Yang interrupted, "Calm down. What happened?"

Ruby took a deep breath and repeated what she said at a normal pace. "I'm so sorry! I was on my way back to the detention room and I got lost and I tried calling you, but it went straight to your voicemail, and I don't know Blake's number…"

Yang sighed and ruffled Ruby's hair. "It's alright. Just be more carefull next time."

Ruby nodded and took another deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "I promise."

"Good. Now come on, let's go." Yang said and the three started to walk.

"Are you coming with us too Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. Yang and I have a project to work on for Literature. That's why I was looking for her this morning." She answered.

"Yep, we have to create some sort of poster that summarizes the events in our class reading." Yang said flattly.

"Well you sound excited." Ruby said sarcastically.

"I, on the other hand, actually _am_ excited." Blake announced.

"That's because you _like_ reading." Yang wore a board expression. " _I_ do not."

"What book is it?" Ruby asked.

"Romeo and Juliet. What else?"

Ruby mentally gagged. "I see why you don't want to do the project."

"I don't think it's that bad." Blake retorted.

"That's because all you ever read are sappy love stories." Yang shot back.

"I do not."

"...Ninjas of Love?"

Blake stopped in her tracks and blushed furiously. "How do you know about that?!"

"You accidentally left one of the books at my house and I decided to give it a read." Yang grinned. "I gotta say Blake, I never knew you were into that sort of thi-OOF!"

Blake rammed into Yang from behind, nearly knocking her over. "Shut uP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UUUUP!"

Yang barked out a laugh and continued to tease Blake, who kept trying to get her to stop.

"Though I especially liked the part with the Katana."

"SHUDUUUUUUUUUP!"

Ruby just there and watched the two go back and forth; they really haven't changed at all around each other. Ruby laughed lightly and sighed knowing how this would end up.

' _At this rate we'll never get home._ '

To be continued


	11. Chapter 9: New Tears Made From Old Scars

Hey guys, I would like to give a big WARNING before you read this chapter. I made a warning in the description box of the fanfic, and now is the time that it begins. As you could probably tell by the title of this chapter, it has to do with a traumatizing theme and will have RWBY spoilers in it. It will include an ex-abusive relationship and is based on the events that happen in the volume three finale. If you have problems with this, I advise that you read with caution, or skip over the chapter entirely. I tried not to put too much information in it, so if you do end up skipping over it, you won't miss too much. Just a reference to the Ruby/Weiss/Rex picture Mony made a while back, and Yang's reason why she hasn't confessed to Blake about her feelings. Anyway, without further adieu:

Roses and Thorns  
Chapter 9: New Tears Made From Old Scars

The roaring of a motorcycle's engine could be heard through the empty streets, accompanied by the hum of a small pickup truck. Blake followed behind Ruby and Yang, listening to the radio as it rolled through commercial after commercial, eventually giving up on the music and turning it off. She subconsciously clutched onto the stomach of her light purple shirt, letting her mind slip slightly into her thoughts. This has been a small habit of Blake's since about a year ago; always letting her mind wander to thoughts about ...him. ' _How is he? Where is he now? Does he regret what he's done? ...Does he even care?'_ Blake shook her head, trying to snap out of the past.

"...Should I even care?" She asked herself softly. "And if I did, could I even forgive him?" Blake sighed, remembering all of the scars he gave her; both physical and emotional. He hurt her, and he hurt someone dear to her. He painted horrible memories into her brain, and they could never be swept clean.

Blake felt warm tears forming in her eyes, but she rapidly blinked a few times to keep them from falling.

' _Not now.'_ She thought, ' _don't think about that right now, just focus on driving.'_ She put her attention back on the golden yellow motorcycle in front of her, smiling slightly at seeing Ruby holding on for dear life as Yang drove.

* * *

Once they made it to the house, Yang pulled up on the left side of the driveway and Blake parked near the curb in front of the lawn. She took the key out of the ignition and exited her truck, locking it behind her.

"You brought the supplies, right?" Yang asked while taking off her helmet.

"Yep," Blake replied. She unlocked the door to the tailgate and popped up the soft top, revealing a few plastic bags filled with art supplies.

"Sweet." Yang reached in the back and helped Blake carry them.

"Is that the stuff for your project?" Ruby asked.

"Most of it," Yang answered, "I have everything else."

"By 'everything else' she means the poster board." Blake said flatly.

"At least I still bought something."

"Yeah, _one thing_."

Yang pouted. "...But do we really need all of this?" She asked while raising her bags in emphasis.

Blake stopped and looked at her own bags. "...I guess not."

"...I'll get the door." Ruby offered, considering how the other two had their hands full. She grabbed the spare key from under a nearby bush and unlocked the front door, letting the others in first.

"Thank you Ruby… did you guys remodel?" Blake asked once she was in the house.

"A little," Yang answered, "we just repainted the walls and got new carpet. We also switched things around a bit to make more room for Ruby." Yang turned around and winked at her sister, who smiled slightly while closing the door.

Their house was a small, cozy one that had one story and a finished basement. After the front door was a small hallway with two doors on the right, leading to the closet and the garage. On the left side was a half wall that revealed the dining room. Next to the dining room was the kitchen, but instead of doors, there were open spaces to walk through.

At the end of the hallway was the living room, which contained a dusty red three-seat couch, a T.V., and a cabinet filled with few gaming systems. On the far right back side of the living room was another small hallway, leading to the laundry room. A pair of sliding glass doors was on the right of the back hallway, leading to the backyard, and on the other side were the stairs to the basement. Beside the stairs was Taiyang's room and office, and next to his room and behind the laundry room was the bathroom. Across from the bathroom was Yang's room, and the guest room, which was now Ruby's room, was in between Yang's room and the kitchen. The walls were a light beige color, and pictures of their friends and family were hung all over them. The carpet was a dusty light brown, and the kitchen had light red- wood flooring.

Although it was a small house, the inside was always spacious, and whenever Uncle Qrow would visit, he always made sure to say the number one Doctor Who reference of '

 _It's bigger on the inside!_ '

Ruby set her backpack on the couch and headed into the kitchen. "Do you two want anything?" She asked while opening up the freezer.

"No thanks," Blake answered. "we have to get started on our poster board."

Yang nodded in agreement. "We'll be in my room if you need anything."

"'Kay." Ruby said while pulling out a carton of ice cream.

At that both girls headed to Yang's room, then suddenly, Yang ran back to the kitchen and poked her head through the door frame. "No sweets Ruby." She grinned.

"Darn it!" Ruby grumpily put the carton back in the freezer; she already forgot about the bet they made.

Yang chuckled as she walked away. "You can have ice cream in two weeks, Ruby!"

"But it will feel like decades!" Ruby sulked. She sulked, even more, when she heard Blake's light laughter from down the hall.

Ruby grumbled to herself and walked back into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and opened up her backpack, digging around for her script. She pulled it out and began studying it, thinking about what she wanted her costume to look like.

* * *

It was a beautiful day. The clouds looked like white cotton, bathed in the beautiful azure sky. The warm sun reflected off of the deep blue sea, and bells and wind chimes were lightly ringing, bringing a summer feel to the air. The sun's rays shined down on the wooden deck, bringing warmth to the feet of the sailors. The ship rocked gently back and forth; enough to bring peace to the mind, and a queasy feeling to those who got sea sick easily. Weiss adjusted her Captain's hat, making it so that the sun was no longer in her eyes. Despite the warm weather, she was dressed in a long sleeve peacoat, white as snow, but faded to an icy blue. She also wore a matching dress underneath with a white ribbon tied around her waist. Her iron toed white high- heeled boots clicked with each step she took as she strutted from one side of the ship to the other. She leaned against the railing and looked out into the never ending blue sea.

"How long until we reach our destination?" She asked one of the crew members.

"Not too long," one replied. "We're just about another hour away."

Weiss hummed a small note. Suddenly, the ship jerked backward, nearly causing Weiss to flip over the railing.

" _What the heck?!"_

"Captain! Are you okay?!" One of the crew members asked, and a few others helped her back up.

"I'm fine!" She started. "But what happened?!"

"Look!" Another crew member pointed to the sea… or what used to be the sea.

Weiss looked over the railing to find that the ship was no longer surrounded by water, but sand. "Have we reached land?" She asked. "I thought you said it was another hour away?"

"It is! Or… it was…" The crew member said while rubbing his head in confusion.

"Captain! Over here!" Another called from the back of the ship.

Weiss ran over to the other side of the ship, followed by her crew. Her eyes widened at what she saw... the sea was turning into sand… the

 _entire ocean_ was slowly turning into a _desert._

"What's going on?!" Weiss asked.

"Well Cap'n, I could ask ye' the same thing!"

Weiss looked down and saw a teenage girl standing beside her ship. She was wearing a cowgirl hat, a black and red dress and combat boots, accompanied by a long red cloak. "Who are you?!" She called down.

"Mah' name's Ruby Rose!" The cowgirl called back with the strongest accent Weiss had ever heard. "Wha' abou' you? And how'd yer ship git' in the middle uh' the desert?"

Weiss straightened up. "My name is Captain Weiss Schnee… and… I am uncertain. I was in the middle of the ocean not five minutes ago!"

Ruby scratched her head under her hat. "Tha's funny. I was jus' walkin' through and all uh'sudden a ship appeared out uh' nowhere!"

Weiss was silent for a moment. "Well… do you know how we can get out of here? I am on a very important mission right now."

Ruby smiled up at her. "Well sure Cap'n! I can get ye' to yer destination...but… I can only take one uh' ya."

"Only one?" Weiss retorted.

"You go on ahead Captain!" A crew member called. "We can stay behind and try to dig the ship out." The other crew members quickly agreed.

Weiss stood in thought for a moment, then sighed. "...Fine. I'll go... but please, be careful."

"We will Captain!" The crew agreed.

At that, the ship's ramp was lowered, and Weiss went along with Ruby, waving to her crew as she left.

"So… how do you suppose we get there?" Weiss asked after awhile of walking.

Ruby giggled. "Ye'll see! Just uhh… stand back…"

Weiss quirked her eyebrow in suspicion but complied. When she was a few feet from Ruby, the cowgirl took a large breath and whistled through her fingers as loud as she could. Suddenly, the sand started shaking in beats, as if something gigantic were taking steps toward them.

"What the heck?" Weiss questioned under her breath. "Ruby… what's going on…?"

Ruby turned to Weiss with a smile. "Ye'll see."

Weiss gave her a skeptical look, but it quickly turned to a look of utter shock as a large animal came running at them.

" _Ruby! What is that thing?!"_ Weiss asked frantically.

Ruby calmly turned to the girl. "Weiss, I'd like ye' to meet Rex."

Once the large animal was a few yards in front of them, it slowly skidded to a stop and looked down at Weiss, letting out a loud huff.

Weiss' jaw hung open as the beast made eye contact with her.

A dinosaur.

Ruby's mode of transportation was a freaking

 _dinosaur._

"W-w-w-what is this?!" Weiss gestured to the beast with both of her arms. "Aren't dinosaurs supposed to be extinct?!"

"Well, that's mighty rude." The beast pouted.

Weiss turned to Ruby with pure shock. "Why is- how is it talking?!"

"Because he learned how." Ruby said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But... _how?!"  
_  
"Because I am well educated." The dinosaur, Rex, adjusted the top hat on his head. "It's that simple. Grass is green, water is wet,"

Ruby turned to him. "Actually the water is sand right now."

"Ah, yes, I suppose that's true… the sun is hot,"

"Pineapples belong on pizza,"

Rex stomped his foot. " We've been over this Ruby! Pineapples do

 _not_ belong on pizza!"

"Yes they do!"

"Preposterous!"

"Oh, what would you know, you've never even had pizza!"

"What makes you think I've never had pizza?!"

"Because you're a raptor!"

"What does being a raptor have to do with anything?!"

"It has to do with the fact that animals can't have pizza!"

"Well, why not?!"

"It isn't healthy for them!"

"Well it's not healthy for you either, but you still eat it!"

"Because humans can digest it!"

Weiss looked back and forth between the two, utterly amazed at how they can be fighting about

 _pizza_ when the entire ocean just turned into a desert.

"Listen, my point is that pineapples do not belong on-"

"ENOUGH!" Weiss snapped, startling the two out of their argument. "Look, I _really_ have to get back to my mission, so if you could please cut it out with all this nonsense and help me get to my destination, it would be much appreciated!"

Rex and Ruby looked at each other then back at Weiss. "Ah, yeah... sorry about that..." Ruby scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Yes... we seem to have gotten carried away." Rex agreed, awkwardly rubbing his toe in the sand.

Weiss took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Thankyou. Now, how exactly are we going to get there?"

Ruby smiled at Rex. "Well, I didn't call this big guy over here for nothing."

Rex returned the smile and readjusted his top hat. "Yes, please, allow me." Rex bent down so Ruby could climb onto his back. Once she was seated, she motioned for Weiss to follow.

 _'Of course,'_ Weiss rolled her eyes, _'we're riding him.'_

Once Weiss was seated on his back, Rex rose up and began to walk. "So where are we heading to?" He asked.

"A small island by the name of Patch," Weiss answered, "I have business with the General Xiao- Long."

"My dad?" Ruby asked, surprised. "What business do you have with him?"

"Wait! General Xiao Long is your father?!" Weiss' eyebrows shot up in shock.

"Yep. We have different last names, though... I kept my mother's."

"Oh..." Weiss adjusted her hat in embarrassment. Had she known Ruby was his daughter, she would have treated her with a little more respect. "Well, I am to send him a message from my own father... about the war going on in Remnant."

"Oh... yeah, he was talking about that earlier this morning." Ruby suddenly pulled out a red and black scythe. "That's why he gave me this."

Weiss nearly fell off of Rex. "Gah! Ruby, how long have you had that thing!"

"This whole time." She answered simply. "My dad gave it to me in case if I run into the enemy."

"Wait..." Weiss noticed something was off with Ruby. "Say that again."

"Uh... My dad gave it to me in case if I run into the enemy?" She repeated.

"Ruby... what happened to your accent?"

"My accent...?" Ruby quirked her eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Yes, Ruby has never had an accent." Rex added.

"Yes she did- yes you did!" Weiss furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "It was an incredibly strong southern one! I could hardly understand what you were saying!"

"Weiss I think you're confused..." Ruby said.

"Surely," Rex added.

Weiss opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, trying to form a sentence. "Bu- yo- I-"

Ruby looked at her over her shoulder. "Weiss I can't understand you..."

Weiss stared at her, completely stumped. "But..." she sighed, "You know what? Forget it. Let's just get to Patch."

Ruby and Rex shared a worried glance, but chose to ignore it. "If you say so..."

"Sure!" Ruby gleamed.

"What? But Ruby, we need to get to-"

"Oh, come on Weiss, it's just one picture!" Ruby begged.

"It would make a great souvenir." Rex added.

Weiss sighed, giving in. "...Fine."

"Yay!" Ruby and Rex cheered. The man motioned for them to follow him, and he led them to a wall that had a large painting of a rainbow on it.

"Ooh! A rainbow!" Ruby's eyes lit up and Rex smiled, but Weiss just looked at it with a dull look.

"It's not that exciting." She said under her breath.

Rex walked over to the wall and got into position. The man with the apron had them all pose and readied the camera.

' _We don't have time for this…'_ Weiss thought, but then she was suddenly caught off guard by Ruby pulling out her weapon.

"Can I have this in the picture?" Ruby asked, and the man nodded, telling them to all smile. Ruby and Rex complied, but Weiss was so caught off guard that she didn't have time to smile before the man took the picture. The camera flashed, and-

Ruby's eyes popped open as she suddenly jerked awake. She looked around confused, noticing that she was still sitting on the couch and that someone put a woven blanket on top of her. The room was dark, the only light source coming from the kitchen and dining room. She could also hear and smell someone cooking in the kitchen.

' _...That… was quite a dream…'_ She thought while stretching. She stood up and folded the blanket and put it back in the closet, wondering who put it on her. She looked at the clock on the wall above the kitchen doorway, the small hand was on the six and the big hand rested just past the three. Ruby walked into the kitchen to see her dad making dinner.

"Hey Dad." She said while rubbing the sleepiness out of her eye.

He turned and smiled at her. "Oh, hey kiddo. How was your nap?"

"It was alright… I didn't mean to fall asleep, though." Ruby took a glass out of the cabinet and filled it up with water. "By the way, were you the one who put the blanket on me?"

"Blake put it on you when she left." Yang answered as she walked into the kitchen. She put two blocks of cheese and a cheese grater on the counter. "Here ya go, Dad."

"Thanks… but, uh… may you also get the basil?" He asked apologetically. "We ran out in here..."

Yang sighed as she went back to the garage.

"Thankyou!" Tai called. "Ruby, you mind grating that for me?" He asked has he went back to frying the meat.

"Sure." Ruby put her glass down and unwrapped the cheese. "What are we having?"

"Homemade pizza."

"That explains my argument with the raptor."

"...What?"

"Nothing..."

"Alright Dad. Here's your basil." Yang said while re-entering the kitchen. "Do you need anything else?"

"Nope." Tai grabbed the seasoning and shook some of it into the sauce. "But may you help your sister?" he laughed, "It looks like she's struggling."

Yang turned to see Ruby on her tiptoes, trying to reach a plate from one of the higher cabinets.

"Wait! I got it!" Ruby said with effort in her voice. She kept trying to reach the plates but was still off by a few inches. After a few more seconds of failing, she sighed and gave up. "We really need to put those on a lower shelf..."

"You really need to grow taller." Yang chuckled.

"And you really need to understand that I can't and won't." Ruby deadpanned.

Yang laughed as she reached up to grab a plate. When she did, her short sleeve slid up past her elbow, and Ruby was shocked to see a long scar running two-thirds of the way around it. Yang's sleeve fell back down when she handed Ruby a plate. "Here ya go."

"...Thanks…" Ruby grabbed the plate and set it on the counter. "...What happened to your arm?"

The room suddenly froze, and a strong tension filled the air.

"What do you mean…?" Yang asked almost softly.

"I saw a scar…"

"Oh… uh… skateboarding accident…"

"Oh, okay." Ruby started to grate the cheese. "I've just never noticed it; probably because you're always wearing your jacket," she smiled, "though I guess I don't really have room to talk."

"Heheh...yeah." Yang smiled nervously, but Ruby didn't seem to notice. The tension seemed to calm down, and she turned to Tai. He gave her a knowing look and motioned for her to go to him.

"You have to tell her eventually…" He whispered.

"...I know… I will..."

Tai patted her shoulder and gave her a comforting smile. She returned the smile, then walked out of the kitchen. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Alright." Ruby and Tai said, and continued to cook.

"...Hey, Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Are we putting pineapples on the pizza?"

"Absolutely!"

"I _knew_ it!"

* * *

Ruby put the last dish in the dishwasher and closed it, drying her hands on the dish towel. She and Yang started taking turns washing the dishes since their dad did most of the cooking. This became a small routine ever since Ruby moved in, and she only found it fair to help with the chores since she'd be living there now. She hung the towel on the rack and went into her room to change into her pajamas. Once she was done, she plopped down on the living room couch and turned on the T.V., switching through the channels until she found a show she liked.

"What'chya watchin'?" Yang asked while sitting down next to Ruby. She was in her pajamas as well.

"Achievement Hunters." She answered.

Yang hummed a note. They both sat there and silently watched the show. When the episode came to an end, Yang fidgeted awkwardly and turned to Ruby, acting as if she wanted to say something. Ruby didn't seem to notice as her eyes were glued to the T.V., but then Yang cleared her throat.

"Hey, sis…?" She sounded weary.

"What's up?" Ruby asked, putting her attention on Yang instead of the screen.

"Soooo…. I have to tell you my share of the lost bet…" Yang said awkwardly.

Ruby suddenly perked up. "Oh yeah!" She smiled. "So… why haven't you told her?"

"May we talk in your room?" Yang blushed.

"Sure." Ruby giggled, figuring Yang wanted to keep the conversation private. She stood up and turned off the T.V., motioning for Yang to follow her. They went into Ruby's room, and she shut the door behind them. She sat on her bed and patted the spot in front of her, motioning for Yang to sit down. Yang sat cross-legged in front of Ruby and took a deep breath.

"Sooooooo," Ruby asked again, "why haven't you told her?"

"Well," Yang looked down at her lap "to be completely honest… I'm scared."

"Hm…" Ruby's expression became more serious. "Why? I mean, on the queer side of things, I can understand… but Blake is your best friend, and she's bi, so I'm sure she won't react too awkwardly if you told her."

"No," Yang corrected, "I'm not scared of her reaction… I mean, I know she wouldn't react badly, but… still, that isn't it."

"Oh… then what is?" Ruby asked softly.

Yang looked up at her and took a deep breath through her nose. "You know how dad and I had to cancel our family meet up last summer...?"

"Yeah." Ruby answered, wondering what that had to with anything. "You guys called us on the second to last day before we left because you got really sick."

Yang looked down to the side almost shamefully. "... I… wasn't actually sick…"

Ruby's heart skipped a beat, and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "...You weren't?"

"No...I… I was in the hospital."

* * *

"..."

"...what…?"

Yang looked down at her lap again, as she wasn't able to look Ruby in the eyes.

"You were in the _hospital?"_

"...Yeah…. Dad and I were planning on telling you and Mom after you got here… but…" Yang looked at a picture frame sitting on Ruby's bedside table. A picture of Summer laughing filled all four corners of it, a picture that had been secretly taken two years ago. "...things changed."

Ruby sat there stunned, still trying to process what Yang said. Her thought process snapped as she noticed Yang move.

Yang pulled up her right sleeve, once again revealing the long scar just above her inner elbow. "I didn't… actually get into a skateboarding accident…"

Ruby figured that out by now, and she understood why Yang lied about it, but she still felt a little hurt that Yang didn't tell her the truth. "So… what happened?" She asked softly.

"..." Yang took another deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. "First… let me tell you about Blake's ex-boyfriend, Adam."

"...Blake had a boyfriend?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah… he's a bull faunus; has two little horns peeking out of is bright red hair…. He also has major anger issues…" Yang's voice caught at the end of her sentence, and she squeezed her eyes shut to keep herself from crying.

Ruby sat patiently, waiting for Yang to further explain.

"He um… I was at their shared apartment, studying with Blake for a big test coming up. And I don't know what came over him, but when he walked in… he was furious. Blake asked him what was wrong, and he just… he gave her this look, and then he asked me to leave the room for a minute. I was hesitant at first, but… I did as he asked." Yang stopped and took another breath.

"I didn't want to eavesdrop, but… he was yelling. I don't remember exactly what was being said, but it was along the lines of him thinking Blake was cheating on him with me… considering how Blake and I were together constantly. She… she tried explaining to him that we're just friends, but he didn't believe her…" Yang paused to calm herself down, as she had begun crying. Ruby crawled over to her and hugged her, waiting until Yang was ready to speak again.

"After a few minutes of them arguing, he-" Yang's breath hitched, and it was becoming harder for her to talk. "...His anger got the best of him and he…. he took one of their kitchen knives….."

"Yang…" Ruby hugged her tighter.

"I-I-I heard her scream a-and he….. I ran out there to help and she was on the f-floor bleeding and…"

"Yang."

"She was holding her s-stomach and he was still yelling… I...I ran at him without thinking and fought him… he swung at me with his kn-knife and he… nearly cut my arm off…"

" _Yang."_ Ruby cried. She could feel Yang shaking uncontrollably into the hug, and Ruby did her best to calm her down. "Yang… it's okay, it's okay, I'm here…." She spoke softly. "I'm here."

Yang latched onto Ruby and took shaky breaths, trying to calm herself down.

They both stayed that way for a long time; hugging each other until they had calmed down. After a while, Yang spoke again.

"...Th-the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital... Dad explained to me that the neighbors in the apartment room above heard the commotion and called 911, but when the cops showed up, Adam was nowhere to be seen…"

Ruby thought for a moment, "And… he's the reason why you won't confess to Blake…"

"Yeah… I fear that if I did tell her, and if something were to happen between us… he'd somehow find out. And I know it doesn't really make sense but-"

"No, it makes perfect sense, I mean, from your point of view... He thought Blake was cheating on him with you, so he acted out with rage, so from that you're scared that he'll come back for you two if you were to tell her… right?"

"...Yeah, something like that."

"Hm..." Ruby thought for a moment. "Well, the police are still looking for him, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So with that being the case... if he were to find out about you two, I don't think he would try to go after you because then he'd make himself an open target to the police… and if they have yet to find him, that means that he's making sure it stays that way... So why would he risk it?"

A slight look of realization swept over Yang's face. "Yeah… I guess that makes sense…"

Ruby tried to think of something that could cheer Yang up. "And... even if Adam tried to go after you two, I know that Dad and Mr. Belladonna wouldn't have it. I may have been young, but I still remember how powerful those two are together; that douche bag wouldn't stand a chance. Oh! And Uncle Qrow would be there too!"

Yang laughed slightly. "Yeah, I suppose. But… still, I'd rather wait to tell her… at least until I know for sure that Adam is behind bars."

"Well, rather you tell her or not, I'm here for you Yang. We all are." Ruby invited Yang in for another hug, and she graciously accepted it. "You're in a safe place, Yang. Never forget that."

"Thankyou Ruby," she smiled, "It means a lot."

Ruby nodded into the hug. "Feel better?"

Yang pulled away to wipe a remaining tear out of her eye. "Yeah."

"Good. That means I'm doing my job right."

Yang chuckled. "That's my line."

"Yeah… hey, do you wanna spend the night in my room? I mean, my bed is big enough for both of us…" Ruby offered. When she and Yang were little, they would spend the night in their rooms as a way to cheer each other up whenever they were sad.

"Sure." Yang smiled warmly. "That'd be great."

Ruby got up and grabbed a few spare pillows from her closet. "It'll be like old times."

"And I'm sure we both could use the comfort." Yang added. "It's been a rough day for the both of us."

"Haha, yeah..." Ruby put the pillows on her bed and they both got under the covers. Once they were situated, Ruby reached over and turned off her lamp, bathing the room in darkness. "'Night Yang."

"Goodnight."

"Hey, Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow's another day. Let's make it a good one."

Ruby hummed in agreement. "Love you, sis."

"I love you too."

At that, both girls went to sleep, waiting for the new day ahead of them.

To be continued.

Hello again, c59t here.  
I would like to apologize once again for the delay… and I would like to explain.  
Before I posted this, I explained how I wanted to make it up to you guys for being so late by making a Christmas special, and a long chapter…. Well, although I did make this chapter long, I haven't worked too much on the Christmas special. I only have a few lines written, and I have yet to finish it. It has also taken an extended time for me to post this chapter…

Usually, the reason why it takes a while to post is due to the constant loophole of work and writer's block… though this time, it is not the case… the reason for the extended time it took is because very recently I have not been in a well mind to write… or do anything. Very recently, I was given the news that my mom passed away… and since then it has become emotionally difficult for me to write Roses and Thorns, considering how it is based around Ruby coping with the loss of her own mom. Due to that, I have abruptly stopped working on it, and I needed time to be with my family and some time to myself. But now I am feeling ready to start writing again, and even though it will be difficult emotionally, I also feel that it will help me to give a more realistic feel to the things Ruby is going through, personally. As I write, I will put more of my own feelings into Ruby, as I feel it will help me cope as well.

Once again, I would like to apologize for the _very_ long delay, and words can't describe how thankful I am that you all are being so patient with me. From here on out, I will try my best to move onward not only in coping, but in writing as well. I would also like to apologize if this chapter was a little messy, as I made a few pauses in between. Also, starting February, I will make it my goal to post every other Sunday, and will be writing a Valentine's day special to make up for the Christmas one.

Thankyou all again,  
-c59t


	12. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Hello, all! Long time no see! Sorry, it's been awhile, I just needed a break for a bit to kind of recover from earlier this year. For those who don't know, my mom passed away in January, and I didn't properly take time to myself to recover from it… a lot of you gave me the advice that I should take the necessary time to heal, and at first, I thought I was fine, but I really wasn't. I decided to take the advise given and gave myself a proper break to think about things and to move forward. I can now truly say that I am feeling better, and although I am still grieving the loss of my mom, I find that it is easier for me to move onward in my writing, as compared to before when I forced myself to write… and due to that, I felt the last few chapters were really sloppy.

So, I did A LOT of thinking, and I have decided that I am going to completely re-write Roses and Thorns. Now, please don't get the wrong idea, I'm not changing the story or the plot, I'm just going back and fixing up the grammar, mistakes, and any plot holes I left behind. Some of the dialogue MIGHT change, but only to make the story more realistic in terms of what Ruby and everyone else is going through. It will still be the old, goofy, Roses and Thorns, it used to be, but better.

Example:

Roses and Thorns: "Who are you?"

Roses and Thorns, The Evolution: "I'm you, but stronger."

Like that. :D I will post The Evolution as a separate story, and any new chapter will be posted there from now on. You can still find it under this user, c59t, and I am thinking about re-posting it on my Deviant art as well. And I know I've said this a billion times already, but I can not express to you enough how much it means to me that you have all been so patient and kind. So thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of your advice and everything you have done to help me out. I really appreciate it! 3

Sincerely,

-c59t


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